Mankind in their ignorance of the all-embracing love of God are prone to think that much of their human experience is comprised of coping or striving with some untoward circumstance. They reason, If this or that condition, or this or that person, would only yield or change, all would be well. What is needed is to turn our thoughts to God and to awaken to His love for all. Our erroneous thinking about persons and things has to be done away with and replaced with the understanding of reality, the truths of man and creation. As this is done, the human situation, whatever form it has taken, is straightened out.
One student of Christian Science treasures the awakening which came through an experience that occurred in her early years of activity in a branch Church of Christ, Scientist. She was requested by the superintendent of the Sunday School to teach a group of teen-age boys whose former teacher had been called to other duties. She accepted the assignment. However, as she thought about it, she became fearful. She had not had much experience in teaching older children and felt doubtful as to her ability to cope with children of that age. She was tempted to tell the superintendent that it was impossible for her to take the class. At once an inner voice said to her: "You will do no such thing. The former teacher has taken up other duties; he is doing his part. You will do your part, too. What are you afraid of anyway?"
As Christian Scientists are taught to do when confronted with the need of making a decision, she sought help in the Bible and in "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" by Mary Baker Eddy. She was led to look up the word "cope" in a dictionary, and she found that one meaning is "to strive or contend." She had been thinking that she had "to strive or contend" with children, boys in particular. She now saw that what had to be striven with were her fears.
