LISTEN, FOLLOW, REJOICE

As urgent and important as the familiar words of warning "Stop, Look, Listen" at railroad crossings are Mary Baker Eddy's words "listen," "follow," "rejoice" in her poem entitled "Feed My Sheep." She writes (Poems, p. 14),

God's voice, or Word, is frequently used in the Bible to refer to God's law, or God's will. "Hear ye the word of the Lord" is a command which the prophets of the Old Testament gave and they themselves obeyed. As they heeded it, they were protected and provided for, as were the children of Israel when they obeyed God's command to Moses to go forward, and went through the Red Sea to safety.

Moses listened for and heard God's voice "out of the midst" of the burning bush, and later he listened to the Word of God on Mount Sinai and received the Ten Commandments. Elijah heard God's voice; so did Elisha, Solomon, Samuel, and many other Soul-inspired patriarchs who were meek and obedient. In fact, Isaiah promised that the gracious God would furnish guidance for His people, saying (Isa. 30: 21), "And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left."

The promises and rewards for listening to God's directions are not confined to ancient times. Recently a mechanic who was an expert was assigned to a new machine which had been giving trouble to other operators. His first thought was that with his skill he could adjust it, but he found it as troublesome as had the others. Then he accepted the mortal mind suggestion that the machine was a wartime product and was carelessly made and imperfect. At the end of the second day he was willing to give up and send for the manufacturer's agent to take it away.

Being a Christian Scientist, however, he waited to report his failure to the superintendent until after he had attended a Wednesday evening testimony meeting. Later he called a practitioner for help, who reminded him that he not only must listen for God's voice, but must follow and then rejoice. His attention was called to the words of Mrs. Eddy's poem at the beginning of this article and also to her statement in "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" (p. 399), "If Mind is the only actor, how can mechanism be automatic?"

Next morning the mechanic put aside his sense of superiority and stood humbly before the machine, earnestly pondering the power of Mind and listening for guidance. As he started the machine, a small piece of metal fell down at his feet. "Defective, just as I thought," he said to himself as he kicked the piece aside. Then the still, small voice spoke, and as he listened he heard, "Look at the piece." Obeying, he saw at once where the metal belonged. He put it into place, tightened the bolt which had shaken loose, and the machine worked perfectly. His rejoicing was genuine, not just for the repair of the machine but for the lesson he had learned in listening and following.

To listen one must put aside self — self-will, self-justification, self-aggrandizement, self-pity, self-condemnation, self-glorification — and let God's Word, God's law, be heard above the din of mortal mind claims. One of mortal mind's chief claims for attention is that one must take "human footsteps." If we listen to this claim before we have sought God's direction, we may forget that the only time our Leader uses the expression "human footsteps," they lead to perfection. The entire sentence reads (Science and Health, pp. 253, 254), "The divine demand, 'Be ye therefore perfect,' is scientific, and the human footsteps leading to perfection are indispensable." In Truth, man cannot be less than perfect, since, according to the Bible, he is made in the image, the exact likeness, of perfect God, Mind, Love.

Listening, however intent, is not enough. It must be accompanied by action and progress. Jesus did not act until he had listened, and he often demanded action of his disciples. Also, he commanded the palsied man to take up his bed and walk, the man with the withered hand to stretch it forth, the sisters of Lazarus to loose him and let him go, and so on throughout his entire ministry.

Mrs. Eddy likewise demanded action of her followers. To the impotent man she said, "Now you can arise and open the door for me;" to the lame woman, "Now you can walk upstairs as other people do;" and to the dumb girl she said with authority, "In the name of God, speak!" The records of these healings are found on pages 54-56 in the book "Twelve Years with Mary Baker Eddy" by Irving C. Tomlinson. Our Leader's writings are filled with admonitions to be active, and in proportion as we follow the way shown by Jesus and revealed in Christian Science will the promised freedom from pain, sorrow, discord, discouragement, disease, and even death come into our human experience. This has been proved times without number.

To follow the example set forth by Christ Jesus in his Sermon on the Mount is not a difficult task when we lay aside self and do to our fellow men as we should like them to do to us. When in our daily rounds we are kind, considerate, honest, charitable, forgiving, understanding, affectionate, we are following in the footsteps of the Master.

What if the way sometimes seems rugged and long? What if a Red Sea of opposition seems to block our forward march? What if the reward of healing is not immediate? Shall we cease following? No, indeed! "The more difficult seems the material condition to be overcome by Spirit, the stronger should be our faith and the purer our love," says Mrs. Eddy (Science and Health, p. 410). Jesus told his disciples they would have tribulations in the world, in their earthly experiences, but he overcame the world and left his example for us to follow.

Jesus listened for the direction of his Father, of his divine Principle, and followed His guidance even to drinking the bitter cup. Even on the cross he did not forget to make loving provision for his human mother, and he prayed for the forgiveness of his ignorant crucifiers. Can we do less?

There is an abundance of divine instruction and guidance for us. Not only do we have the Bible, but we also have our textbook, the key which unlocks God's precious promises. We also have our Leader's other writings, The Mother Church with its branches and Sunday Schools, the periodicals, the Lesson-Sermons in the Christian Science Quarterly, the lectures, class teaching and practitioners.

Just as surely as a child can begin to use his knowledge that two plus two equals four even though he cannot solve problems in higher mathematics, so can each student of Christian Science listen, follow, and rejoice from the first moment he accepts the truth of perfect God and His perfect creation, including man. As he advances, spiritual ideas are revealed; and every step of progress strengthens his faith, his understanding, and his conviction that he is listening to and following God's eternal Word or law. Can anyone refrain from rejoicing in this revelation? Can anyone withhold songs of praise to a good God, who provides only good for His precious creation?

Wherever error or discord seems to be expressing itself—whether in inanimate mechanism or animate bodies, whether in human relationships or in atmospheric elements—God's Word is ever directing and supporting when we listen for it. God's Word subjugates matter, for in reality nothing exists but God and His idea.

We never can reach a desired destination three miles away, if we go only one mile. Nor can we reach it by going two miles. We must go the whole way. We must listen, follow, rejoice. It must be done individually before it can be manifested collectively.

Indeed, we need not wait for the final culmination of perfection in individual experience before rejoicing. We can truly rejoice that we know how to listen, follow, and rejoice in each forward step leading to perfection, no matter how rugged the way may seem. We need not wait for the universal demonstration before we obey Paul's counsel (I Thess. 5:16), "Rejoice evermore."