With her hand on the telephone a Christian Scientist paused. Should she intrude upon her friend's privacy, take up his time, and perhaps disturb his train of thought? The message she had to give was important; so, with diffidence, she proceeded to make the call. Hearing the familiar, gentle voice, she began with hesitation, "I do hope I'm not disturbing you." Firmly, but evidently with a smile, the answer promptly came, "You cannot disturb me!" The conversation continued, and the student so felt the spiritual stability of Christly peace in the thought of her friend that she never forgot it.
This incident illustrates the strength and beauty of a state of consciousness in which an individual has attained the demonstration of spiritual peace within. The apprehension of this mental quality, described by Paul as one of the fruits of the Spirit (see Gal. 5:22), confers divine power, which enables men to withstand pressures the world may exert and renders them invariably willing to listen to God with patience and to impart with love the Soul-inspired thoughts and words that heal and comfort.
This quality indicates also the influence of the Christ, Truth, upon the community and the universe, for that brief sentence, "You cannot disturb me," spoken with such assurance, gave the student to whom it was said a glimpse of spiritual peace. That day she resolved to bring the same consciousness of peace to her own daily life. This peace, through God's gracious law of divine Love, belongs to every individual expression of His sublime being and may be demonstrated here and now in the greatest as in the least of human affairs.
