Can any of us honestly say that we always have obeyed willingly the demands of God? Haven't we at times dillydallied in mental lukewarmness, or even willfully disobeyed His laws?
If this cap fits, we doubtless have experienced the painful or limiting results of our shortcomings—and these results may have acted as goads that have forced spiritual growth by propelling us out of lethargy or rebellion into a humble willingness to listen to and obey God's voice.
The old saying "once bitten, twice shy" then takes on added meaning. We become more alert and learn the stern lesson that divine law must be obeyed, or self-imposed tribulation is the result—self-imposed because of the discord that mental laziness or self-will expresses upon our bodies or experience. Christian Science teaches us that all material conditions—our bodies, environment, indeed our whole human experience—are mental phenomena, subjective images evolved by the human mind.
