Among the most fraudulent of human qualities is self-will. Mortal mind calls it willpower, and like the serpent of Eden offering a knowledge of evil, presents it as a quality greatly to be desired. Many profound thinkers lend themselves to this deception when they consider a display of self-will as denoting strength of character. The remarks "I will" and "I will not" are often lauded as manifestations of a worthy trait. But every act of self-will is rebellion against the will of God.
Mrs. Eddy says, "In patient obedience to a patient God, let us labor to dissolve with the universal solvent of Love the adamant of error,—self-will, self-justification, and self-love,—which wars against spirituality and is the law of sin and death." Science and Health, p. 242; Preoccupation with self closes our eyes to all that has no relation to self and impels action only in directions that would be advantageous to self. Such preoccupation overlooks entirely the abundance of good that would spontaneously flow into our experience if our efforts were expended in benefiting all with whom we come in contact. Efforts to help others must be preceded by the desire to aid them, and we do not always welcome this desire. In Zechariah we read, "Yea, they made their hearts as an adamant stone, lest they should hear the law, and the words which the Lord of hosts hath sent in his spirit by the former prophets." Zech. 7:12;
A modern definition of the word "adamant" is, "an unbreakable obstacle; impenetrable hardness." Our diamond was once called adamant. Later experience has proven that while a diamond is not unbreakable, it is nevertheless very difficult to break. In the same way, any characteristic relating to the human self may be very difficult to break down, but it can be done. Self-will, self-justification, and self-love can be destroyed by "the universal solvent of Love," as Mrs. Eddy tells us.
