Chronic faultfinding is not only unpleasant for others; it often brings physical discomfort. But neither positive thinking nor apathy about pressing difficulties really stills complaint. Much more is needed.

What stills complaint is the understanding that God, all good, the creator of all, neither produces nor allows evil. We all are His offspring; and His child, or idea, can't be a cause of grievance, a victim of it, or a complainer about it. To pierce the pretense of evil, we must discern its nothingness; this is to handle evil scientifically, to destroy it. And where must we do this? In the quiet of our own consciousness, through communion with God.

Christian Scientists don't ignore evil and its often tragic deceptions. But evil can't be defeated with materialistic weapons or on the basis that it is actual or powerful. We overcome evil only from the standpoint that it is illegitimate, impotent, and unreal because not of God. Evil has no life, nor can it destroy Life, since God is the only Life. Evil isn't intelligent; it totally lacks the validity of Truth. It can only destroy itself, which inevitably happens when it isn't believed to be real and personal. So we needn't react to evil with blame, disgust, hatred, or fear.

Unjust criticism has been described as cruel self-righteousness and as public admission of one's inability to reflect the Christ. It is often a backhanded way of praising oneself. But any boost faultfinding may give to our self-esteem is more than negated by its clouding our view of God and His omnipotence. Complaint hides Truth, robs us of recognition of present good, whereas gratitude shows appreciation of the spiritually unblemished selfhood of others and of the order and harmony of God's creation. Gratitude brings us closer to Him and enables us to prove divine Love's power to make goodness evident.

Are there rules we can use to improve in this area? Mrs. Eddy writes, "Let Truth uncover and destroy error in God's own way, and let human justice pattern the divine." ^{Science and Health, p. 542.} We first want to realize the truth about the error we see: that it's powerless, a lie, belonging to no one; that it can't operate, can't be cause or effect; that it can't exist in God's allness to use or to victimize anyone. How well we see the error isn't the main point; what heals is how well we see the Truth that error would hide.

A second rule is to be a discerner of good rather than a constant faultfinder. This involves judging, not according to the appearance, but righteously, as Christ Jesus did. We must separate error from God's man, condemn error as nothing, but lovingly support individuals. In this way, Christ Jesus forgave the adulterous woman. He freed her from falsely identifying herself with the wrong she had done and demanded her compliance with the law of God on the basis of her oneness with Him as His spiritual child.

A third rule is to speak the truth only. Our Leader, Mrs. Eddy, puts it this way: "Avoid voicing error; but utter the truth of God and the beauty of holiness, the joy of Love and 'the peace of God, that passeth all understanding,' recommending to all men fellowship in the bonds of Christ." ^{No and Yes, p. 8.} In my household the unwritten rule has been: If you can't say something constructive, say nothing at all. Don't add to atmospheric pollution!

In family, business, church, an individual acts from the standpoint of his own experience—and it is God who lifts him higher. A group comprises individuals who come together or are brought together for the purpose of upholding and strengthening each other, especially in times of temptation and stress. People function together properly only through a degree of unselfed love—never because of domination or the attempt to force others to adopt what they have not proved or do not yet understand.

Jesus once walked across a turbulent sea to his disciples, who were toiling in their small boat. He didn't demand that they equal his demonstration, but got into the boat with them. And the Bible tells us, "the wind ceased." ^{Mark 6:51.} Can't we try to be as humble and patient in our actions—being with others and helping them when they have chosen legitimate and wise courses?

Divine Principle, Love, is always higher and more blessed than what at the moment may seem humanly right. It's far more important to keep our thoughts in harmony with God than to have things work out humanly in a certain way. Wrong of every sort is self-defeating. Hypocrisy, personal charm, manipulation, self-will, domination, and malice fall of their own uselessness. We read in I Peter: "If, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God." ^{I Pet. 2:20.}

When we pray more consistently the prayer of self-correction, we'll grow less concerned over correcting others. If error appears real to us, then our own thought can be examined and corrected. We want to keep ourselves from being deluded into accepting something besides good.

We'll succeed if we obediently follow the corrective procedure outlined by Christ Jesus and required of Christian Scientists whenever wrongdoing appears to justify formal complaint: "If thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church." ^{Matt. 18:15-17.} How can one obey this requirement and go to another whose conduct has been offensive unless he goes in love, and with a desire to bless? This means that, having seen an error in another, one must then unsee it—must recognize it as no part of the individual, as powerless to deceive him or anyone—before one takes any steps at all, if indeed any remain necessary.

Joy and spiritual power come from discerning the presence of good right where evil seems to be. Genuine forgiveness involves just this—the blotting out of a sense of evil as real; the sharp rebuke of evil's claim to belong to or operate through anyone; the cleansing of our own consciousness so that we can see God and His perfect creation better; and the restoration to another (or sometimes, most important, to oneself) of the good believed impossible or lost.

We can rejoice that, in Truth, no one can be mesmerized into believing a lie or manifesting it. God has no consciousness of evil, nor does His immaculate creation. So we can express His perfect knowing. It really is impossible for man, who reflects the divine Mind, to have a wrong thought or to do a wrong thing.

As we declare and prove these truths individually, we'll help humanity find a better way than the clamor and conflict of protest, resentment, and retaliation. We can rise from the delusion of injured self-righteousness to the recognition of Love's harmonious and benevolent control over all. Such silencing of complaint enables us to abide in a healing consciousness.