A young mother, a new student of Christian Science, was wakened one night by the cries of her infant son. Quickly she went to him to quiet and comfort him, but her efforts were of no avail. She found herself puzzled. "I know that he is clean and fed. Why is he still crying?"

Instantly, as if the answer had been present and only awaiting her acceptance, came this calming, uplifting thought: "What have you been learning of God in your study of Christian Science?"

As she pondered the question, she thought along these lines: I've learned that God is the only true Father and Mother of everyone, of each individual's spiritual identity. Because He is the only real parent, He is the only creator of man. And since God is Spirit, His man and His universe must be totally spiritual, complete, and perfect. God could not and would not create anything unlike Himself.

Then, as a divine Parent, would He create man but not love and care for His own creation? Why, of course not. This little boy is in reality His beloved child, who must reflect every quality of his divine Parent, including fearlessness and wholeness. At this very minute, God is knowing him as He has created him. To God His child is joyous, healthy, and free. In fact, because God is universal and loves everyone, no one could ever be deprived of His ever-present love.

And then came a surprising thought to the young mother: It is God's motherhood and God's mothering love that the child is really calling for.

Somewhat startled at this immediate answer, not fully understanding its meaning but willing to be obedient, the mother turned again to her infant son. But this time she found herself speaking to him not as an apprehensive human mother. She spoke to him with the gentle confidence and reflected authority of one who has begun to glimpse in some degree God's infinite, impartial, and tender love for His entire creation. She realized that not one single individual can ever be outside His all-embracing, all-powerful Love.

With calm compassion she spoke to the infant in words of comfort which he could feel. She assured him that there was nothing to fear. Because she knew that God, his divine Parent, was All, she was at peace. She knew that in God's allness there could not be even an atom of harm, fear, or danger. She understood how much God loved him. She spoke to him of God's presence as the only presence, ruling out any other. And she comforted him with the spiritual fact that God and God alone was in complete control of him at that very moment.

The child fell quickly into a natural sleep and slept peacefully through the night.

The entire experience took just a few minutes. But its impact on the new student was profound.

To her it was unmistakable proof that what she had been learning of God through Christian Science was in fact humanly provable. The truths or laws of God could be applied to human situations much as mathematical rules can be applied to mathematical problems when they are understood and applied accurately and obediently.

But for spiritual laws to be effective, they had to be accompanied by the spirit of divine Love that characterized the entire ministry of the Master, Christ Jesus. The mother began to understand the relation of Science, or divine law, to Christianity, or the gospel of divine Love that Jesus understood, loved, and lived.

She could then understand why he promised that his followers would do the works that he did. Jesus knew God to be the Principle of his glorious work. Principle establishes the ever-present law of harmony that can be understood and applied by all mankind as an unchanging, scientific rule of health, harmony, and happiness.

With joy the mother realized that she would never again have to think of her child as anything less than what God knows him to be—His perfect, spiritual, pure child. And she realized that this truth was also applicable to herself—that she too was under God's love and protection. Her role as a human mother was to understand more fully, accept, and prove this wonderful spiritual fact. She needed to love and trust its promise and learn how to yield fearlessly to its tender power.

In the Christian Science textbook, Science and Health, Mrs. Eddy writes: "Father-Mother is the name for Deity, which indicates His tender relationship to His spiritual creation. As the apostle expressed it in words which he quoted with approbation from a classic poet: 'For we are also His offspring.'" ^{Science and Health, p. 332.}

In the years that followed, the student's understanding of the sacred, permanent relationship between God and man as divine Parent and child grew. This understanding became in time a firm rock of inspiration, strength, and courage. From this basis she humbly prayed to solve difficulties relating to human childhood whenever they occurred.

With growing joy and freedom, she began to glimpse something of the heaven of God's—divine Mind's—kingdom, in which His every idea lives in complete safety and perfection under His impartial, benevolent government, in harmony with all other spiritual ideas of God. She began to understand Jesus' answer to the Pharisees when they asked him when the kingdom of God would come. He answered, "The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you." ^{Luke 17:20, 21.}

It was that kingdom the young woman was beginning to understand and prove for herself and her family. As she continued to do so on a progressive basis, parenthood became a time in which to learn more fully the nature of God, of His great power, His infinite love, and His total and complete government of man and the universe. It became a time in which to learn of the true nature of man, of his native Christliness. To learn of man as God has created him—the highest idea of God, as perfect and whole as the Father he reflects.

This experience illustrates that Christian Science is not a philosophy to be discussed apart from its human application. It is the very love of God, expressed in individual Christly power and applied humanly to meet whatever need we have. Without proof of its divine message of hope and healing, this Science could not be said to follow the true intent of Jesus' theology.

Just as the young mother turned to God and found answers to her child's need, so each one can prove to himself that God loves His children. Each can prove for himself the truth of the Scriptural teaching "Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number: he calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power: not one faileth." ^{Isa. 40:26.}

Nothing is impossible to God, who loves all. As we yield wholeheartedly and honestly to this spiritual fact, our prayers to our Father-Mother God will prove powerful in breaking the bonds and limitations imposed on children by countless false, materialistic beliefs.

With a fearlessness born of spiritual understanding and with a spontaneity born of faith and love, we can reach out not only to our own children but to all children everywhere with prayers of protection, comfort, and liberation. Such loving prayer has undreamed-of power to break through the cruel beliefs that would hold children in an unrelenting grasp.

We can prove for ourselves that God loves us and that we love God when we are willing to care for His children as He directs. In this way we will help humanity awaken to and accept the precious individuality, identity, and worth of each child.

Increasingly we can see and prove that each child is forever at one with God, safe in His care, reflecting Him intelligently, freely, and fearlessly.