We need to be grateful for the many young people who, through the work of faithful Sunday School teachers and loving parents and through their own sincerity, have gained a working knowledge of Christian Science and are using it in their homes, in military service, in business, and in branch church activities.
There are those, however, who seem to have similar opportunities but under stress of present-day situations stray from their early training. Also there are university students who indicate a preference for Christian Science when registering at the beginning of the semester but do not go to the Christian Science college organization meetings, which are provided for their inspiration and protection.
Many may wonder how these things can be. A contributing cause may be our failure to teach children to work for themselves. When a child, faced with a problem, physical or otherwise, is healed solely by the prayers either of one of his parents or of a Christian Science practitioner, he himself may be required to do little or nothing in the way of using his own spiritual understanding. Under such circumstances he may take the healing as a matter of course, like his daily breakfast. He is unimpressed with the incident, for although others have proved the availability of the law of God in his behalf, he himself has not proved it. Too much is often done for young people materially. It may also be that too much is often done for them metaphysically.
The Bible story of David and Goliath shows that David's confidence in God's protection had been built up when he was able to protect the flock he was tending from the attacks of a lion and a bear. Hence, when Saul's armor and helmet, or material reliances, were put on him for his combat with the giant, he took them off, saying, "I cannot go with these; for I have not proved them" (I Sam. 17:39). So with great reliance on God, and with the simple sling with which boys of his day were familiar, he triumphed over evil's boastful claim of power.
The mother of a girl of thirteen asked help for her daughter from a Christian Science practitioner. The girl had been difficult to get along with for some time, but the immediate concern was that of a dental condition which had been reported as very serious and was supposed to require the use of an anesthetic in the correcting of it.
The practitioner gave the girl a treatment that day. The next day, however, as a result of prayerful work, he was led in this case to encourage the girl to do what she was capable of doing for herself. So he called her on the telephone and encouraged her to do some prayerful mental work of her own.
Christ Jesus' understanding of God's law often led him, in the process of healing the sick, to point out to those who sought healing what they had to do. In the case of the two blind men he said (Matt. 9:28,29): "Believe ye that I am able to do this? . . . According to your faith be it unto you."
The practitioner recommended that the girl know herself as God's idea, the offspring of the Father-Mother God, all-harmonious, as well as an emanation of Principle and hence never touched or motivated by that which is the opposite of Love. The results of encouraging the girl to take part in the demonstration were shown in a letter which the mother later wrote to the practitioner. She stated that this experience had been the turning point in her daughter's life. Up to this time the girl had depended upon her mother and the practitioner to do all the work for her, and she had not shown much interest in what was taking place, nor had she shown any gratitude.
Now the daughter realized that something wonderful had happened to her. In addition to being completely healed of pain, a new line of thought had opened up to her. She had become alert to rebuke aggressive mental suggestion. She had begun to read Science and Health by Mrs. Eddy and the Christian Science periodicals, to go to church on Wednesday evenings, and to take a sincere interest in the testimonies given there. She had even expressed a desire to write a testimony for the Christian Science Sentinel.
Mrs. Eddy says, "It is possible,—yea, it is the duty and privilege of every child, man, and woman,—to follow in some degree the example of the Master by the demonstration of Truth and Life, of health and holiness" (Science and Health, p. 37). We sometimes forget the word "child" in that sentence and do all the work for the children, which sometimes keeps them from growing spiritually.
In order that more of our young folks may gain the assurance that comes from taking part in demonstrations, practitioners, when doing healing work for their young patients, can be alert to the opportunity the case may afford to give them some homework to do. And Sunday School teachers can bring the truths of Christian Science to the pupils in such a way as to show them how to use these truths in their daily problems.
Pupils in Sunday School can also be asked to tell the class about healings they have had and how the work was done. If they are hazy about how to give a treatment to themselves or others, they can be encouraged to turn to the fact of Love's allness, God's presence and power, through the realization of which the seeming presence and power of evil will fade into nothingness. Parents too can help by encouraging their children to study the Bible Lessons, given in the Quarterly, and, when facing trouble, to go to their rooms, take their textbooks, the Bible and Science and Health, and study until they are free from the discord.
The call to do one's own work was voiced by Paul when he said (Phil. 2:12, 13): "Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure."
