In these days of the world's financial reconstruction, a certain expression, "hard times," seems again to have achieved for itself almost universal acceptance. Swiftly it passes from lip to lip, carrying with it doubt, fear, and discouragement; and steadily and surely does it continue to claim its victims, until it reaches some one who knows enough to know that it is only a lie, and stops it right there. A counterfeit dollar passes as a genuine dollar only until it reaches some one who knows enough about dollars to detect it. When anything reaches a Christian Scientist which he suspects to be a worthless dollar or a worthless expression, he has a right to refuse to accept it, until he has had time to examine its claims to genuineness and authenticity.
Let us look, then, at this little catchword of the moment,—this thing popularly called "hard times," which flits along the current of universal thought as lightly as a bit of thistledown,—to see if it really is as innocent as it claims to be. No one who reads these lines, it is safe to assume, would, if he knew it, pass along a worthless dollar. We all feel ourselves much too honest for that. Yet, how many of us have been guilty of robbing a brother of his peace of mind, his night's rest, and perhaps even his trust in God, by passing along to him that other wholly worthless thing, the belief in "hard times"? The counterfeit dollar is a lie because it claims to be a genuine dollar; "hard times" denies God's abundance, His love, His unceasing care for His creation,—man and the universe.
One who throughout a long and somewhat trying day had heard this lie voiced again and again, with varying degrees of vigor and conviction, was rested and comforted, when evening came, to join with others at a testimony meeting in a Christian Science church in singing the well-loved hymn, a line of which reads, "Lord, my times are in Thy hand." If it be true (and we know it is), that our "times" are in God's hand, God's keeping, how can there ever be any such thing as hard times? The only times God knows anything about are times of joy, of clear vision, of broad outlook, of peace and progress, wonderful "growing" times, wherein showers as well as sunshine have their share in ripening and developing the rich fruitage of demonstration.
