Every loyal Christian Scientist desires to progress more rapidly in the understanding and demonstration of Christian Science, to heal more quickly, to be more truly useful. A significant paragraph entitled, "True estimate of God's messenger," on page 560 of the textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" by Mary Baker Eddy, explains how this spiritual desire for greater usefulness may be realized. We read: "The great miracle, to human sense, is divine Love, and the grand necessity of existence is to gain the true idea of what constitutes the kingdom of heaven in man. This goal is never reached while we hate our neighbor or entertain a false estimate of anyone whom God has appointed to voice His Word. Again, without a correct sense of its highest visible idea, we can never understand the divine Principle." Is it not evident, then, that an essential need of everyone who would be useful in Science is to gain a "true estimate of God's messenger"?
The better we understand Christian Science, the better we understand the work and the life of our Leader, Mrs. Eddy; the clearer our perception of the revealed truth of the Bible, the better we understand her spiritual rank and place. Thus our estimate of our Leader may be said to be a test of our understanding both of the Scriptures and of Christian Science.
Every time light shines into our consciousness revealing the fact of God's allness and man's perfection, we are catching a glimpse of the truth our Leader discovered; every time we have a healing, we are enjoying the blessing which she brought to humanity. Honesty and gratitude compel recognition of our debt to the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science; and honesty and gratitude are necessary essentials to progress in Christian Science.
