A young friend said that she wasn't sure she fully understood the statement by Mrs. Eddy in Science and Health "If the case is that of a young child or an infant, it needs to be met mainly through the parent's thought, silently or audibly on the aforesaid basis of Christian Science." Science and Health, p. 412. She said that sometimes she tended to feel at fault if her child became ill.
A parent need not feel personal blame if a child is ill, and certainly the statement from Science and Health doesn't indicate that one should. But one does need to recognize the parent's responsibility to pray for healing, especially when the young child does not yet know how to pray for himself.
Now, what basis does a parent have in Christian Science for treating the case with prayer and meeting in his own thought an illness that his child is confronting? Preceding Mrs. Eddy's statement about meeting the needs of a young child or infant are important instructions, including: "Mentally insist that harmony is the fact, and that sickness is a temporal dream. Realize the presence of health and the fact of harmonious being, until the body corresponds with the normal conditions of health and harmony." Ibid.
A parent might ask, "What is my authority for insisting on the divine reality of harmony and realizing the presence of health?" Science and Health explains, "The Christlike understanding of scientific being and divine healing includes a perfect Principle and idea,—perfect God and perfect man,—as the basis of thought and demonstration." Ibid., p. 259.
Understanding this even a little, the parent is in a strong position to defend his child's God-given right to health and harmony. Too, he is less fearful, for he sees that the case is being met mainly through his own thought. He recognizes that overcoming the aggressive, unfair suggestion of childhood illness is dealing specifically with the error—the lie that God's idea can be sick—on the basis of the eternal truth that God is perfect cause and man is perfect effect. Spiritual perfection is already established. The parent doesn't have to make perfection perfect, nor could he. Perfection already is. That's why he can realize it and, in his prayer, insist upon spiritual truth for his child.
It is the Christ that reveals what is true about the child—that the child truly is safe. In fact, the Christ is the saving Truth that comes to the receptive human consciousness and destroys the error there. The error often is fear. The Christ, instilling confidence in the parent, enables him to confront fearlessly the error as error, mistake, because it is not of perfect Principle. So divine Principle is the basis of the parent's mental insistence "that harmony is the fact, and that sickness is a temporal dream."
Such insistence isn't willful insistence from a human standing It is understanding what is; it is standing up for the child's natural, God-given harmony and for his right to this harmony. Health and harmony belong to him, since these are spiritual qualities that come from divine Love and are reflected by all of God's children; and in reality, each child is the man of God's creating. On the basis of spiritual understanding the parent insists that harmony is the fact. Consequently, he knows that sickness is not the fact. Divine Love didn't make it. Love doesn't know it. Therefore, Love's expression, which the child actually is, couldn't have it. The parent feels the safety of God's love embracing the child. The one all-powerful divine and perfect Love is the real protector. And the consciousness of Love, such as Christ Jesus had, brings release from suffering. It heals.
Daily prayer fortifies a parent's position, for it regularly brings his thought into line with spiritual reality. The parent defends his thought steadfastly against impositions of illness concerning himself and his child. He realizes, too, that the child with whom he is privileged to share his experience is actually the reflection of perfect God and not a finite, material conception of human parents. A parent sees evidence of this fact in the beautiful, sparkling qualities expressed through the child—qualities that are divinely derived and indestructible. Also, this steady prayerful work carries with it an ability to face the foe, the fear, if it comes, and to make it back down.
If a parent ever feels helpless when his child is sick, he might consider what any parent would do if someone or something threatened bodily abuse to his child. Would he not step in between the child and the thing threatening him? He wouldn't let the child take the brunt of the attack. A parent is naturally protective of his child, giving normal physical defense and care. Also, a parent who is a Christian Scientist defends his child metaphysically, as well as in all the loving ways of care and protection.
Instead of feeling helpless, through prayer and fidelity to divine Truth the parent comes to feel an inner strength that might be expressed in Paul's words "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." Phil. 4:13. Then the strength the parent feels is not just his own human fortitude but a divinely derived quality that enables him to stand up against the aggressive suggestion of illness and thereby overcome it. The parent's stance in prayer firmly challenges the error of disease; he knows well that it is the power of Truth itself that deflates the error. In Science and Health we read: "A man's gaze, fastened fearlessly on a ferocious beast, often causes the beast to retreat in terror. This latter occurrence represents the power of Truth over error,—the might of intelligence exercised over mortal beliefs to destroy them. ..." Science and Health, p. 378.
Where are mortal beliefs destroyed? In human consciousness. What confidence a parent has when he realizes that the attack can be met mainly through his own thought! A parent knows where he stands—knows that he can trust Truth itself to destroy the error. He is not afraid, because he is mature in his spiritual conviction and is strong in understanding, well able to exercise the might of divine intelligence over mortal beliefs and to let the power of God, infinite Truth and Love, destroy them.
In times of need it is the Christ, Truth, that gives parents the strength to defend their children's right to health. The Christly message comes to us in the way we need it most at any given time. As Science and Health explains, "Christ is the true idea voicing good, the divine message from God to men speaking to the human consciousness." Ibid., p. 332. The Christ message quietly assures, readily rouses, tenderly enlightens, kindly regenerates, steadily redeems, and purposefully strengthens the parents.
In times of need it is the Christ, Truth, that gives parents the strength to defend their children's right to health. The Christly message comes to us in the way we need it most at any given time.
Increased receptivity to the Christ comes through prayer and daily study of the Bible in conjunction with Science and Health, which explains the Bible. Mrs. Eddy's book explains how Christ Jesus accomplished his healing works, which resulted from his continuous realization of his inseparable relation to God. He expected these works to go on. He encouraged his followers, "He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also." John 14:12. On several occasions his works involved healing children.
Most important to our preparation in regard to following the Christ is prayer—daily prayer that begins with perfect God; prayer that permits no entrance of a thought claiming to intercept "the divine message from God to men"; prayer that covers all aspects of the day at hand; prayer that affirms, establishes in thought, what is of God and denies, obliterates from thought, what is not; prayer that recognizes God as the source of man's health; prayer that lifts thought to a realization of the present perfection of God, man, and the universe. Such prayer inspires the desire to do the "works" required of a Christian. Such prayer cannot be reversed, for it is based on unrivaled Truth.
The truth is that man is innately innocent. This is the child's defense, which we need to understand when praying for him. As we recognize this fact, we will never think of the child as defenseless. Christ Jesus indicated the power of childlike innocency when he said, "Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein." Luke 18:17. It is important, then, that a parent recognize his or her own inherent innocency, too; for in reality, parent and child are both children of God—spiritual ideas of God.
A young child I knew contracted the flu and began coughing severely. She was unable to attend school. After several days, though much progress had been made toward healing, the coughing persisted. The working mother felt pressured by the disturbance of the child's peace. She was annoyed that the error had got such a foothold in her thought, and she was tempted to be discouraged. The problem seemed to become a monster—more than she could cope with.
A Christian Science practitioner reminded this mother of divine Love's caring for the child and described the human parent's position in the situation as one of being spiritually prepared to meet the illness in her own thought through the power of Truth. Then the mother realized her capability. She was no longer afraid for the child. The truth was now at work in her thought, dispelling the error. She saw the basis of thought and demonstration—"perfect God and perfect man." With the deepest love she saw the child as God's spiritual idea, who had never been touched by error—not even been vulnerable to it. She had faced the foe with renewed understanding and strength. Consequently the foe—the fear—disappeared, and the cough along with it. The child was completely healed.
Healing in Christian Science is far more than getting rid of a cough or any other difficulty. Physical healing is the natural consequence of the action of the Christ in human consciousness. The calming influence of the Christ eliminates any belief in a presence unlike good, including peripheral foreboding suggestions of threat to a parent concerning his or her child.
Children should always be thought of as what they are in reality: the spiritual idea of God, always safe, always loved, always wanted; and they should be taught this truth from the start. A parent's insistence on his child's health is also requisite, for health is man's normal condition because it is a spiritual quality from divine Love. And as the years go along, the parent should continue to teach the child that health, harmony, joy, and holiness are man's God-given rights. Mrs. Eddy writes, "Children not mistaught, naturally love God; for they are pureminded, affectionate, and generally brave." Miscellaneous Writings, p. 240.
These children, dearly loved and spiritually taught, have a strong metaphysical basis from which to demonstrate health and harmony for themselves as they mature, and later for their own children, should they in turn become parents. What a blessing to the world to have this practical demonstration of the power of Truth to heal our children and uplift their lives for the glory of God.
