In the Manual of The Mother Church Mrs. Eddy writes (Art. VIII, Sect. 6), "It shall be the duty of every member of this Church to defend himself daily against aggressive mental suggestion, and not be made to forget nor to neglect his duty to God, to his Leader, and to mankind." Recently it came to me that I was not making use of all the channels provided by Mrs. Eddy for the good of mankind, particularly those of the Wednesday testimony meetings and the space provided in our periodicals for fruitage. In other words. I was not letting my light shine by gratefully testifying to the efficacy of Truth in my experience. I saw that I was allowing myself to be imposed upon by aggressive mental suggestion, which was keeping me from my duty.
I wish to mention one healing that has been outstanding to me. A few years ago material sense argued that I had been through a trying experience, both mentally and physically, while caring for an elder member of my family. At the same time I was confronted with a growth under my arm that became large and painful. Although I was quite fearful, I knew my help lay in Christian Science.
The unfoldment that came to me during this time was a recognition of my need; and I used my Concordances to the Bible and Mrs. Eddy's writings to gain a better understanding of Love. For a glimpse of what true love really is and the realization that without love the letter of Christian Science avails little. I am truly grateful. A human sense of good, or love, was not what I was striving for, but the compassionate love that Jesus expressed, which heals. I tried to see man in his true being, the reflection of God, to listen to what Soul knows about him instead of what material sense testifies of mortal man, and to do unto others as I would be done by. I began to see more clearly than ever before that the only growth there is or can be is growth in grace, which a Christian Science friend once defined to me as the irresistible desire to bless. With this realization I was relieved of pain, and soon all evidence of the growth disappeared.
