JUST as in his parables our beloved Saviour, Christ Jesus, used the simplest illustrations in order to explain the things pertaining to Spirit, God, so in Christian Science we may learn some very useful lessons from the simplest events in our daily life.
One beautiful spring day, a student of Christian Science took advantage of the hour she had at her disposal to go out and enjoy the warmth of the sunshine on the beach close to her home. Having taken with her some Christian Science literature, the study of which had so greatly increased her appreciation for all that symbolizes God's handiwork, she was soon absorbed in her reading. Suddenly, however, she became conscious of a chill in the air and noticed that the sun was completely hidden by a dark and threatening cloud which left her very little hope of being able to spend the rest of the hour out of doors. A sense of disappointment seemed to creep in, but this was immediately replaced by a mental denial that any so-called material effect could chill or destroy the joy of gratitude and the warmth of divine Love, which had been so much enjoyed a few minutes before.
A passage written by our dear Leader, Mary Baker Eddy, on page 298 of our textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," was also recalled: "As a cloud hides the sun it cannot extinguish, so false belief silences for a while the voice of immutable harmony, but false belief cannot destroy Science armed with faith, hope, and fruition." It was readily seen that true harmony and happiness, being entirely the result of right thinking and not of material environment or atmospheric conditions, could not be lost even for a moment, because "Science armed with faith, hope, and fruition" was governing the thought. With this realization of the truth, the student looked up and saw what was to her one more proof of the unreliability of the material senses: the large dark cloud had broken up, and the sun was piercing steadily through the mist, growing brighter and brighter till the warmth of its rays was being felt just as before!
