In his teaching Jesus drew upon incidents familiar to his listeners to elucidate everlasting truths. He used as illustrations things common to their daily experiences and surroundings, such as the fowls of the air, the sheep of the pasture, the lilies of the field. Memorable is that occasion when Jesus, withdrawing into a ship, poured into the receptive ears of an expectant throng on the shore his words of wisdom and love.
Here it was that in simple language he related the parable of the sower and the seed. Always it was the same seed, the same sower. The difference was in the ground on which the seed fell, for only the seed scattered on good soil yielded abundantly. How easily the workers of the soil understood his parable as taken from their own experience! How readily the disciples translated his words into their spiritual significance! It was now clear to them that the seed of Truth must be sown in a receptive consciousness. Only thus could a satisfactory harvest follow.
Today the same seed of Truth is being sown by Christian Science. Its growth is dependent upon receptive thought. We may well ask ourselves frequently: What kind of soil do I find in my consciousness? Do stones of envy or revenge forbid the growth of the seed? Do the thorns of self-righteousness or self-condemnation entangle the tender rootlets? Do the fowls of the air—rumor, criticism, suspicion—devour the seed before it propagates? Do the weeds of human concepts consume the tiny plant at its first appearing? Am I seeking Truth unreservedly, or only half-heartedly? Shall I resort to some material remedy in the event that I fail to receive help at the time or in the manner I have hoped? Am I willing to pray for an understanding heart and not merely for the fulfillment of my human needs?
Such inventory of our motives and acts, such orienting of our consciousness, is the practical and progressive step to be taken in Christian Science. In Science and Health (p. 272) we are told by our loved Leader, Mary Baker Eddy, that "in the soil of an 'honest and good heart' the seed must be sown; else it beareth not much fruit, for the swinish element in human nature uproots it."
A patient who had spent four years in hospitals, only at last to be condemned to die, turned unreservedly to Christian Science for his healing. He was willing to be an obedient plowman. For implements with which to cultivate his field he purchased all of Mrs. Eddy's books. For seed he applied the words of Truth. Daily he cultivated his mental ground by turning his thought to God, studying the Lesson-Sermon in the Christian Science Quarterly, doing his mental work, seeking divine guidance. Often he voiced his willingness to do his share. With songs of thanksgiving and praise from the Christian Science Hymnal he awaited the harvest. Soon, because he had prepared his soil well, the abundance of health was his.
There is something for each one to do. Willingness to be healed includes willingness to surrender mere human opinions, prejudices, mistaken convictions. It includes obedience, and the cultivation of an active, open thought which seeks an understanding of the fundamentals of Christian Science. We should be willing to let Love pour into our thinking and find expression in the beauty of our daily living. We can begin each morning in quiet meditation on the mental qualities that will enrich our thinking. Gratitude makes rich the most barren thought. It is one of the most potent healing agencies, recognizing its debts and paying them in living love. The thought that can recall past proofs of God's goodness and availability when the evidence of evil seems very real and very personal, bids fair to dispel the clouds of the carnal mind and claim dominion as God's precious gift to His children. Gratitude awakens a desire for service, which in turn deeply stirs and enriches the mental soil. Gratitude is pre-eminent in the receptive thought; it aids our happiness, our growth, and our prosperity. Giving and receiving are divinely interwoven, and he who gives much knows that he receives abundantly of God's unlimited riches. The desire to give is a seed which, planted in good soil, matures into a rich harvest.
Oftentimes a good field yields little because of neglect after the planting. It needs the pure waters of Truth and the warm sunshine of divine Love to bring the seed to its maturity. We find the expectation of good has marvelous propagating propensities. This expectation is the essence of true prayer and sustains the Christ-vision. It enables us to watch and work and pray more effectively while we wait on God for the harvest. It enables us to rise above the mist of mortal mind and claim our perfection as the sons of the Most High, and to maintain our confidence in the promise that we shall reap the harvest of Mind's sowing.
Perhaps there are times when the worker's burden seems heavy. Winds of discouragement howl. Black clouds of doubt hover ominously. Weeds spring up, thorns abound, tares of evil flourish. The sunlight of Truth seems no longer to illumine his field of thought. But, despite all such sense testimony, he has only to know that God is still the changeless, perfect, absolute, and unconditional All-in-all; that the radiant light of Truth ever prevails; that he possesses God-given dominion and can lift his thought to a better understanding of God's kingdom and His righteousness, knowing that nothing apart from God has power.
Divine Love enfolds patient and practitioner alike. Another proof of good soil is gratitude to the loyal worker who helps him to withstand the onslaughts of mortal mind through the Christ, Truth, and leads the way to victory. We must awaken to the necessity of putting forth efforts to help ourselves. Well may we assist the healing work by frequently asking ourselves, Am I doing my share?
To gain the unfoldment of the truth that promises entire freedom from the bondage of the carnal mind requires the prayer of understanding. No one can do our thinking or our living for us. The work of salvation is always individual. Each one seeking the help of Christian Science must do his part and do it well, that the seed of Truth may find root in good soil and bring forth a rich harvest.
