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MATILDA J. HOFFMAN Not long ago the proof of this came to a student of Christian Science. For several days the prayer of Elisha, in which he entreated the Lord to open the eyes of his servant, repeatedly came to the thought of the student. So persistently did this recur, that she felt spiritual enlightenment was in some special way necessary to her; so whenever the thought presented itself she would prayerfully repeat, Lord, open thou the eyes of thy servant. After a few days this assurance came in the Master's words: "What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter." Then for some time these passages of Scripture seemed to be forgotten. Soon after this, one who was going to take an ocean voyage came to the student and said she was somewhat afraid of traveling on the water and also of seasickness, at the same time asking for help in Christian Science. God's loving care and ever presence were carefully explained to the inquirer and verified by references from the Bible and Science and Health. The morning of the day on which the one who was to cross the ocean took the boat, a message was received from her saying, "I am so happy and grateful; all fear has vanished." The student answered that God is good and that He would take care of everything. Several days later, as she studied the Lesson-Sermon, much gratitude for Christian Science brought a great desire to know and understand better the great Exemplar and to follow more lovingly his teachings. Going about some household duties with thought uplifted, she was, however, suddenly touched with a sense of fear. She felt bewildered, and again prayerfully voiced the words, Lord, open thou the eyes of thy servant. Instantly the recognition came that it was a human call for help and also that it came from the traveler on the ocean. The truth was immediately declared. Later a member of the traveler's family called up over the telephone, feeling troubled because no message had been received, but the Christian Scientist could give the assurance that though there had been some delay, all was well. Conveying the certainty of God's loving protection, the answer allayed all fear and satisfied the anxious thought. Several weeks later a letter came which said that the one on the ocean had not been ill during the whole trip; but that heavy fog and high winds had made progress slow, and that nearly everyone on board had been ill sometime during the trip. The letter further stated that upon entering the channel there was high wind and dense fog, and that it took nine hours and a half to find the signaling buoy. It seemed that there was much excitement and a great deal of fear among the majority of the passengers when a lumber schooner almost struck them amidships. The lady wrote: "At first I seemed to feel some of this excitement myself, but soon I realized a sense of peace and protection, the presence of a special protection. I am certainly very grateful." To the student who had been declaring the truth two points stood out very clearly; namely, the utter helplessness of mortal man and the powerlessness of material means. It recalled Jesus' words, "I can of mine own self do nothing," and there was seen the protecting power of divine Love — the Father-Mother God that cherishes, guides, and guards His own. On page 85 of Science and Health our beloved Leader says: "It is the illumination of the spiritual understanding which demonstrates the capacity of Soul, not of material sense. This Soul-sense comes to the human mind when the latter yields to the divine Mind." Thus does loving obedience to Principle bring the fruition of Love.
Christian Science Sentinel, June 7, 1919 |
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