"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matt. 11:28). This comforting and loving expression of Christ Jesus' came to me many years ago when I was laboring under a debt which appeared to me to be a considerable burden. The debt had accrued under what I felt to be a right and progressive step in my life—that of obtaining the necessary academic degrees for a chosen professional career. Funds had come to me from several unexpected sources as I began my academic studies, and additional financial help came through work opportunities. Yet considerable additional funding was needed as the long road stretched out. This was secured through borrowed money.
As I pondered the statement from Matthew quoted above, I knew that it implied more than wishing I could go to the man Jesus to pour out my problem. The word "come" made me think of action, and I saw that I needed to move toward a better understanding of the mission of the Master to learn how I could gain rest from this sense of burden. I turned to what had often been an inspiration in moments of need—Science and Health by Mrs. Eddy, the textbook of Christian Science. In it I found this statement (p. 4): "To keep the commandments of our Master and follow his example, is our proper debt to him and the only worthy evidence of our gratitude for all that he has done." I began to see that the real debt was not so much a specific amount of unpaid money as it was the need to follow Christ Jesus' example. I then began a careful study of the Gospels.
At one point my thought was challenged by Jesus' reply to the scribe who asked, "Which is the first commandment of all?" The answer was to love God "with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength .... And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself" (Mark 12:28, 30, 31).
