Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, and I have something in common. These men of the book of Daniel refused to respond to a signal to bow down to a false god. The king of Babylon had made an idol and decreed that at a certain sound everyone must worship it. As the Bible relates, "An herald cried aloud, To you it is commanded, O people, nations, and languages, that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sack-but, psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of music, ye fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up." A modern term for what the king was requiring of the people might be "conditioned response."

When a signal suggesting a certain response is repeatedly presented, a predictable pattern of behavior emerges, as when our family pets come scrambling to the kitchen every time they hear the can opener operating. That is conditioned response. It may seem quite harmless, but sometimes unthinking response to some signal, or set of circumstances, can be extremely trouble-some.

For instance, when I was a child, certain physical conditions were the signal for me to develop symptoms of a cold. This predictable result could recur any time of the year whenever those conditions were present. The response was invariable. Expecting to suffer with severe symptoms, I would retreat to the bedroom and entertain the cold symptoms for days. My parents furnished various cough and remedies and the tenderest of care, but still many school days were wasted and countless special events were missed while I struggled repeatedly with this ailment.

However, when I began to study the Christian Science textbook, Science and Health by Mrs. Eddy, I saw the connection between my thinking and my health. That is, I gained a modest understanding that the purity emphasized by Christ Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount (see Matt. 5:8) is a Christian requirement that affects health as well as character. It is a Christlike mental state that impels honest self-examination. The more we work and pray to replace sinful tendencies with pure, Godlike qualities such as love and meekness, moral courage and faith, the more freedom we gain in all areas of our lives, including health. It is the privilege of all of us to recognize that because our true identity is the pure, spiritual likeness of God, we have the strength to resist being dominated by circumstances. It is this Christly strength and purity that enable us to heal today and thereby follow Jesus' example.

When once again the dreaded conditions were present that signaled a response of illness, and I felt familiar symptoms of a severe cold approaching, my reaction was entirely different. I realized with a start that the thought of a cold had always preceded the condition, and I had believed I had no choice but to surrender and suffer. This time I rebelled—not with anger, but with joy! I remember smiling (in mid-sneeze) at the realization that God had not ordained any law to make me sick; therefore, I did not have to obey any such law. Like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, I had the option to refuse to bow down and serve something useless and meaningless. Then the most remarkable thing happened. Every symptom immediately vanished (even the impending, nose-bending sneeze), and I was suddenly completely well.

Science and Health declares, "Become conscious for a single moment that Life and intelligence are purely spiritual,—neither in nor of matter,—and the body will then utter no complaints. If suffering, from a belief in sickness, you will find yourself suddenly well." Consciousness of the perfect, spiritual nature of all that God, Spirit, has created, including man, turns thought away from fear of exposure and contagion and lifts it to an awareness of the innate purity of man. This purity exempts us from false, harmful laws and gives us a deep yearning to obey the law of God, good, which is simply to have no other gods. Obedience to His law relieves us of helpless compliance with varying conditions that cause us to fear sickness. Many times I have been subjected to situations that before had caused certain ill results, but I have never again responded with fear and resignation and have not suffered again from colds.

Man responds naturally to God because of his status as the offspring of divine Love, inseparable from Him. God's law includes no harmful element, but when understood it does destroy that which would keep mankind enslaved to sin, sickness, and death. The Scriptures repeatedly emphasize the urgent necessity of understanding and obeying God's commandments. This does not place us above the legitimate civil and moral laws of our society. On the contrary, it gives us a higher sense of law that prevents sinful behavior and protects us from the harmful dictates of disease. Instead of helpless submission to discord, we have the God-given right to rise in protest.

The law of God simply holds, with logical certainty, that God and His likeness, man, can never become unlike. That is, it is neither logical nor lawful that God should be all-powerful, but His likeness, should be weak and vulnerable; that God could be perfect and pure, but His image a sinner. Christ Jesus reversed this mistaken belief. He illustrated the consistency of God's law and its application to human affairs.

But what about one who has been acquainted with the law of God since childhood, yet suffers from some ailment that is perhaps more serious than the common cold? Does the divine law work in some instances and not in others? No, the law of God is as unvarying and dependable as its divine source. There is no chance connected with it. It is certain and provable because it is true. But it must be approached with increasing understanding and obedience. The key lies not only in gaining a deeper sense of the infinite and omnipotent nature of God's law of spiritual perfection but in perceiving its practical power to govern us each day, all day. Knowing the healing law of one infinite, omnipotent God, and the justice it includes, is the first step. But meeting a severe challenge requires more—it requires us to respond to that law.

A seed holds within itself natural qualities that respond to the warmth of the sun by germinating and growing, developing naturally into beauty and productivity. Similarly, we can respond to divine Love. Innate spiritual qualities unfold. Growing spiritually through prayer, progress, and devotion to God, we naturally develop spiritual strength to resist compliance with unjust impositions. We find that God has indeed made man in His own image and likeness, complete with health, vigor, and integrity.

Not even a fiery furnace could cause Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to respond to the idolatry of the day, to forsake God, Spirit, as All-in-all. With steadfast to the saving law of God, they emerged from the furnace unhurt, without even the smell of smoke on them. We have something in common with those courageous men. We, too, can prove our safety by responding faithfully to the healing law of God.