It is not presumptuous for a sincere student of Christian Science to aspire to its public practice. His growing understanding of the Science of Christianity arouses an irresistible urge to share the good he receives. Within the many activities of the Christian Science organization he has ample opportunity to practice what he is learning. Often his first patients are his family or friends or his Sunday School pupils. The more he shares, the more he becomes conscious that divine Truth, or Love, is the healer, not any personal power. When he has had instruction from an authorized teacher of Christian Science and has learned enough to practice consistently, he is ready to dedicate himself to the work.
Our Leader, Mrs. Eddy, wrote to an early student, "A real scientific Healer is the highest position attainable in this sphere of being."Mary Baker Eddy: A Life Size Portrait by Lyman P. Powell, 1950 Edition, p. 316; One essential element that will draw us into this glorious activity is a deep and continuing love for Christian Science, a devotion that has been maintained over some period of time and under many different kinds of tests. Do we trust Christian Science so much that we turn instinctively and unreservedly to it in a moment of sudden and acute distress? Do we really believe that trusting God is safer than trusting men, no matter what occasion may arise?
Another important element leading the student toward the practice is a deep desire to participate in the mission of Christian Science in spreading this gospel of healing. Sometimes this begins with church work— committee work, teaching Sunday School, serving in elective office. Each of these activities, if seen as a metaphysical challenge, not a routine chore, presents opportunities for the practice of Christian Science.
