TO the novice in Christian Science the question frequently comes, "Why do I have so much to meet that I never noticed before?" and sometimes the query is accompanied by the statement that it was really easier in the old way. It was once my duty to care for a lawn. It seemed in good condition—looked as well as most in the block; so I gave it the usual care and was very well satisfied. One day, however, it became apparent to me that several bunches of coarse grass were also thriving lustily under my care. But what was the use of bothering to dig them up. Frequent mowing kept them from showing very much, and as some of the neighbors had a much larger crop my few could be left undisturbed. Yet, after once seeing that alien grass, it was hard to ignore it. It seemed to grow so quickly after each cutting; and try as I would, I could no longer look at the lawn without seeing the intruder. What a mistake to suppose that to ignore the grass would keep it from growing and marring the lawn. It must be uprooted. This decision reached, I rushed pell-mell at the task and began pulling; but not with the expected result. Something more was needed, for of myself I was not able to remove the grass. A neighbor, seeing my ineffectual effort, realized my need and supplied me with an implement which enabled me to do the work in the right way.
The big grass was soon gone, but the sward was not as clean as I had anticipated. In doing the work it had been necessary to look more closely at the lawn, and to my astonishment I found a large number of weeds in it. Was it worth while to remove them? They certainly had not shown before, or I should have seen them; so what harm did they do? Furthermore, it was rather discouraging to find a lawn full of weeds when I had just pulled out all that had seemed to disfigure it. Still, most of them seemed small, and it would not be much trouble to remove a few at least. Their smallness, though, did not make them easy to pull; often they had to be separated from the clover with great care, and it required time and patience. The amount of damage they were doing to the clover was also amazing, and wherever they were taken out only a bare spot remained. It was evident that if I wished a truly clean lawn, I must earnestly and systematically go to work and uproot all that in any way marred it.
Yet to know what marred was not always easy. At some stages of growth the Weeds so closely resembled the clover that it was difficult to tell them apart. At such times it was only my knowledge of clover and its characteristics which enabled me to distinguish between them. Then there were such beautiful blossoms on those weeds, that when dainty white flowers fairly smiled up into my face, it seemed hard to destroy them. But every flower meant seed; seed, more weeds; more weeds, no clover; so blossom, plant, and root had to go. The removal of the roots was the difficult work, for they were not always where the weeds seemed to indicate and frequently had to be searched for, only to be found hidden securely away in a most unexpected place.
The more I worked, the more weeds I found; and my task seemed to be without end. The only visible results were many bare patches, which defaced the lawn more than the weeds ever had; and it certainly seemed easier, and almost better, to leave it as it was. Neighbors became interested, and came to comment and advise. A few encouraged; those who had many weeds of their own said that mine would all come back, because theirs had: the indolent ones, that it was too much trouble and did not pay; and others, that if I kept on there would be no grass left,—all of which would probably have tempted me to give up the work, had it not been for the fact that wherever the weeds had been removed I had prepared the soil and into it had sown clover seed. So what mattered the difficulty of the task, or the opinions of others, when I knew that in due time the seed would grow, and in place of weeds or barrenness there would be an abundant growth of clover and a beautiful lawn. The clover has long since grown, blossomed, and spread, but the work is not finished. New weeds appear, or some of the old, overlooked, spring up again and must be destroyed. The good seed, however, is doing its work, and the improved and beautified condition of the lawn is a full reward for all the effort expended.
The experience of the average student in Christian Science is not unlike mine with the lawn. He may be very well content with his life, and not realize the need of change, until some glaringly inharmonious condition becomes apparent to him and he seeks to remove it. When he turns to Christian Science he is given that wonderful book, Science and Health, and with its aid he starts to work. At first his whole thought is upon the removal of the one discord of which he has become conscious. He probably believes that when this is gone his work will be finished; and very well pleased with himself for having turned to Science, he is delighted at the prospect of rest and reward for well doing. It is with considerable astonishment, then, that he discovers himself possessed of various other undesirable conditions of thought. He had never noticed them before, and cannot understand why they should all appear just when he has found this wonderful truth that is going to make his life so easy. He does not yet realize that it is this same truth which is turning his gaze within, upon self, and showing him that he must root out all that is unlike God, good.
Probably the discordant conditions had always been in the student's life, only he had accepted them as inevitable, holding them to be due to disposition, surroundings, financial standing, inherited conditions, etc., and he had become accustomed to them as a part of his existence. Not until his thought is turned in the right direction does he really become aware of the horde of errors in his life, and realize that they can and must be destroyed. Then the temptation may come to feel that it is easier in the old way; that all these errors never had to be met there— that this new way of living is such a struggle. If he is in earnest, however, he will work on in the way he has started, and the sense of struggle will be gone; for, inasmuch as the work of yesterday brings freedom and harmony for to-day, he will realize the importance of removing even the least of the errors, and soon learn that only as he is faithful over the little problems will the big ones cease to exist for him.
It may be that some old ways may seem almost too good to part with, or conditions may appear for which there seems to be no cause, but upon closer examination of self, the root will be found away off in some sense of self-love, self-righteousness, self-justification, so-called legitimate criticism, dishonesty, envy, malice, revenge, or any of their kindred. As the weeding process goes on, a time may come when the work seems to have resulted only in barrenness. Friends and associates still in the old way will be likely to smile at his efforts, or declare that they are all wrong, tell him that he will soon have no pleasures in life, advise him to drop it and not be foolish. The one who is working aright will not heed these arguments; for he knows that wherever error has been uprooted, the seed of Truth has been sown in its place, and that there can be but one result,—a life made beautiful with the abundance of Truth's blossoming.
With never-failing courage and joy, let us continue the work made necessary by every advancing step; realizing with our dear Leader that "the weeds of mortal mind are not always destroyed by the first uprooting; they reappear, like devastating witch-grass to choke the coming clover. O stupid gardener! watch their reappearing, and tear them away from their native soil, until no seedling be left to propagate—and rot" (Miscellaneous Writings, P343).
