The mother who greets her muddy toddler with "That's a beautifully made mud pie, Johnny," before she sets out to show him a tidier way to use his constructive energies, is a humanly wise mother. This way, modern theorists maintain, Johnny feels her recognition of his individuality and approval of his constructive endeavor. He is more willing to give up the mud and accept an alternate outlet for his budding abilities.
It is good to feel recognition and approval. There is a deep underlying need for it in each individual human consciousness. But the real need is never for more human appreciation, as helpful as this may be. The real need is always for a feeling of unity with God, man's spiritual source. Therefore we can best help meet another's need by letting Christ meet our need for the spiritual understanding of man, which brings freedom. We gain this by learning to understand God as He is revealed in the Bible and elucidated in the Christian Science textbook, Science and Health by Mrs. Eddy.
It is immensely reassuring to know God as infinite divine Love—to know that this infinite Spirit is wholly good and does not include a single evil element—and to understand man's primal, immediate, and eternal relation to God as His exact spiritual reflection, individual and perfect. Because this man is not a physical and erring mortal but the spiritual idea of God, we can love him unreservedly.
