Through a deeper understanding of God, everyone can learn how to overcome difficult situations and bring more harmony into encounters with others. When clashing opinions, misunderstandings, estrangement, or deliberate hate surface in our dealings, the first impulse might be to wonder what to say or do. If we really want to heal the condition, we need to remind ourselves that God, infinite Love, is the only Mind. This means that both we and our fellowman are, in reality, the expression of divine Love. When we are confronted with conflict and disagreement, we are actually facing a false sense of ourselves and others. If we believe that despising and slandering really represent someone's true individuality, we may end up accepting this sin as our own, because what we believe about others often conveys what we believe about ourselves. Self-correction removes belief in the reality of whatever is unlike Love in our neighbor's attitude— and our own. Though we may be tempted to believe a lie about our real identity as the reflection of divine Love, we need to claim our likeness to and inseparability from Love. Then we can see a supposed enemy as, in reality, the loved and loving child of God.
Christ Jesus was strikingly conscious of an individual's sinless, healthful nature as manifesting the one Father Mind. And those who responded went away healed. He detected the deep repentance of the woman known as the Magdalen when she came to him and, weeping, anointed his feet.Luke 7:37, 38; In the case of the woman accused of adultery, who was about to be stoned, he made her attackers recognize their own sinfulness. To the woman he said, "Go, and sin no more."John 8:11; At another time he said, "Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment."7:24;
We too will judge righteous judgment as we see in place of enemies the perfect likeness of God. To do this we have to know and love our fellowman as he really is—fully spiritual and good. Our Leader, Mrs. Eddy, tells us, "If the Scientist has enough Christly affection to win his own pardon, and such commendation as the Magdalen gained from Jesus, then he is Christian enough to practise scientifically and deal with his patients compassionately; and the result will correspond with the spiritual intent."Science and Health, p. 365;
Accepting the innate goodness of all God's ideas, we will know if and when any corrective steps need to be taken. We never need blame ourselves for malice directed toward us, because each individual is responsible for his own thoughts. We cannot be influenced by others' thoughts unless we allow ourselves to accept their view as real. Accordingly, we willingly and diligently watch what we take in and are grateful when we notice our brother is changing for the better.
Some may wonder how correcting our perception of others helps them. Is it projecting thought toward outside enemies and so removing their antagonism? No. This method is human will, the opposite of Christian Science. Instead, we yield to divine Love's evaluation of them as already joyful, satisfied. This prayer is the light, or law, of the Christ touching human consciousness and healing it.
A schoolteacher faced with an unruly class may simply attempt to control the pupils with sterner and sterner discipline. That failing, he or she may try to ignore the problem. If the teacher turns to Science, this will require something more than efforts to change the outward appearance of disobedience and defiance. By allowing the Christ to overtake thought, the instructor can discern what God is knowing of His children— their real identity. This can bring out loving cooperation and intelligent motivation. Divine control will be in charge in proportion as the teacher focuses on the Christ view and not on the material sense illusion.
The same rule applies to every kind of flare-up of human will. Struggles between labor and management can be scientifically resolved if even one individual recognizes God as the only Mind of all. Greed and lust for power give way to concern for others and to reasonable expectations. In families, fear of domination and dependency resulting in feelings of rebellion and burden need not continue. If a family member is willing to give up the picture of many minds pulling in different directions, for calm reliance on the one Parent of all, this will bring out the good in everyone, and resentment will evaporate.
Christ Jesus said, "There is none good but one, that is, God."Matt. 19:17. We free ourselves and others as we remember the good they express is God's good. Evil is impersonal mortal mind, never part of God or man. Thanking the Father Mother for every bit of good we find everywhere and canceling out the appearance of evil, we can conclude that in reality only good is present in every individual. Our conviction of this fact increases as the Christ predominates in thought. The mistaken concept of good being limited to a particular person is an obstacle to spiritual growth; but it can be corrected as we realize that the good in others has its source in God.
The persistent belief of good as personal sometimes takes the form of constantly looking to other individuals for happiness and fulfillment. This search for external gratification can lure us into self-pity and loneliness. The Christ shows all of us that we already have a God-bestowed capacity to love, to share, to give. This is true satisfaction and joy. God; all-encouraging Love, leads us to unselfish relations with others, in which we find fulfillment in being what we really are.
In all phases of getting along with people, the emphasis should be on what we think—the need for bringing thought into conformity with the goodness of reality. When discord seems to persist, we must refuse to be deluded by appearances. Sticking to the true concept, we purify our grasp of reality by always measuring it against the standard of the Christ. What our brother says or does— even in hostility—will then seem les important. Then we are satisfied just to love unstintingly, with the motive to bless. Looking for neither apology nor approval, we express the overflowing, immeasurable love that comes from the source of our being.
