A little child reaches up, intuitively, for his parent's hand as they cross the busy street together. He feels safe and secure, without a doubt or fear. He goes happily along, trusting implicitly in the guidance and protection of his parent. The hand is always there. The child counts on that. He is aware only that his parent will not let any harm come to him. This he accepts without question.
If that child grows up learning the truths of Christian Science and applying them in his daily life, he learns about a God whose love for His children is even greater than the love of his human parents. The child learns of a God who is infinite Spirit and wholly good; who is ever-present Love and does not know evil at all. He begins to understand, at least in a degree, that God is divine Principle and His law upholds perfection at all times—invariably and continuously. He finds that the more he knows about this God and His perfect creation, the stronger becomes his faith in God's ability to govern all of His ideas harmoniously. The child is finding a reason for his faith. He is beginning to understand, in part, the loving nature of his Father-Mother God and to see that he can trust this heavenly parent to be with him at all times and in all circumstances.
As we face the challenges of our day, be they physical, financial, discordant relationships, or whatever, we can always reach for our Father's hand, like the little child, and feel the perfect confidence and security that it brings. His hand is always there, ready to clasp ours. The challenge we face may be fargreater than a street filled with onrushing cars, but whatever seems to bring us fear or distress or pain can be faced and overcome as we hold fast to our Father-Mother's hand. As Mary Baker Eddy, the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, explains in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, "Faith, advanced to spiritual understanding, is the evidence gained from Spirit, which rebukes sin of every kind and establishes the claims of God." Science and Health, p. 23.
