It is related in the thirteenth chapter of I Chronicles that King David at one time during his reign made preparations for the ark to be brought from Kirjathjearim to Jerusalem. The accustomed method of carrying the ark was to have it borne by certain priests of the Levites. But on this occasion it was carried in a new cart drawn by oxen. The oxen, however, in crossing the threshing floor of Chidon, stumbled, and Uzza, who was driving the cart with Ahio, put out his hand to steady the ark. We read (I Chron. 13:10), "And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzza, and he smote him, because he put his hand to the ark."
Interfering with or treating irreverently what is held to be sacred or secure has sometimes been designated by the phrase "attempting to steady the ark." And this has also come to mean assuming a false sense of responsibility.
"But," someone may say, "we must take the human footsteps necessary to correct error." This is perhaps what Uzza thought when he put out his hand to save the ark from falling. David had set aside the authorized method of transporting the ark when he had it moved by means of a cart and oxen. If the Levites had been carrying the ark supported by poles on their shoulders, there would have been little possibility of its falling. Uzza, as many of the rest of us have done on occasion, found himself seemingly obliged to assume a responsibility which should never have been his. It requires courage and clear sightedness to protect ourselves from becoming involved in such a situation. But if we refuse to accept responsibility for another's error of judgment or action and have the wisdom to cling steadfastly to our God ordained and God-directed sense of the highest right, we bring blessing to all.
Students of Christian Science who turn to God, prayerfully seeking guidance, wisdom, understanding, humility, and selflessness, begin to lose the false sense of responsibility. When unusual demands arise, they more and more spontaneously turn away from human planning to seek divine direction. But in the quiet, uneventful flow of daily activities they also need to watch that they are not betrayed into believing that their wisdom, experience, or authority, yes, even their inspiration, is sufficient to enable them to do without divine direction and wisdom.
One responsibility which parents should assume is that of demonstrating Christian Science in their homes. Contacts with children often present opportunities for their quick and decisive turning to God. One mother who is a student of Christian Science has had many beautiful lessons on the importance of turning to God in matters of child guidance. On one particular morning this mother was tempted to believe that an unhappy, willful, and unreasonable little boy was marching away from home to school. Later in the day the mother had occasion to talk with a fellow student of Christian Science, and she heard herself saying, "Sometimes it is necessary to speak very forcefully to error when it appears in our children."
Presently her friend replied, "Have you ever tried to lift up the Christ?"
This mother had often proved in other matters the efficacy of lifting up the Christ, and she now examined her thinking, replacing the false concepts of unhappiness, willfulness, and unreasonableness with the true concept of the real child's likeness to his Father Mother God and of his truly joyous, loving nature. She perceived that a mortal mind cannot be disciplined, informed, or enlightened by another mortal mind on its own level of thought. She further realized that any sinful concept which she had accepted must be corrected in her own consciousness. With joy she remembered Mary Baker Eddy's description of the Master's method of healing in "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" (pp. 476, 477): "Jesus beheld in Science the perfect man, who appeared to him where sinning mortal man appears to mortals. In this perfect man the Saviour saw God's own likeness, and this correct view of man healed the sick." As she clung to the truth about the nature of the spiritual child of God and identified her child with his true being, the little boy expressed more love, happiness, patience, and obedience than ever before.
When the suggestion comes that there are conditions in business, social, and church relationships which need to be improved or corrected, it takes faith and childlike trust to keep our hands off the ark and to realize that God can and does guide and govern all His children. Not just a chosen few are blessed, but all His ideas are under His government and control. Whatever then is inefficient, inadequate, selfishly ambitious, aggressive, or domineering has within itself the seeds of self-destruction. The intelligent understanding that God, divine Principle, is ever present, ever operating, continually guiding and directing His universe, will bring the harmonious solution of any problem. As we acknowledge the truth of God's allness and omnipotence and realize that there is no Mind apart from His to act or be acted upon, to influence or control, a burden of limitation is lifted from all those involved in the situation.
Of all the responsibilities which are truly ours there is none more satisfying than that of introducing a receptive stranger to Christian Science. We acquaint him with the Bible and with Science and Health and Mrs. Eddy's other writings, with the biographies of our Leader, with the authorized periodicals, introduce him to our Reading Rooms, church services, lectures, and point out the list of practitioners of Christian Science published in The Christian Science Journal. However, in our deep desire to advance someone's progress have we not all at some time tried to solve his problem for him, thus perhaps depriving him of the inspiration and growth which he might have gained from doing his own studying?
Jesus gave us a wonderful example of our true responsibility in the story of the raising of Lazarus. He was standing before the tomb as Lazarus "came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes" (John 11:44). As Jesus and Lazarus faced each other in that glad moment of resurrection, what a natural thing it would have seemed for the compassionate Jesus to reach forth and loose the bonds that bound his friend. But this was not his work. Jesus did not hold Lazarus in bondage, mental or physical. Mrs. Eddy states in Science and Health (p. 75), "Had Jesus believed that Lazarus had lived or died in his body, the Master would have stood on the same plane of belief as those who buried the body, and he could not have resuscitated it." For those, however, who thought that Lazarus had gone through this material dream, there was work to do, and to them Jesus said (John 11:44), "Loose him, and let him go."
May we, as students of Christian Science, never bind mankind with fetters of materiality by attempting to steady the ark of salvation, but may we ever, with clearer and clearer vision, accept our first responsibility of uplifting the Christ in our consciousness and recognizing God and His perfect creation as All-in-all.
