The words of St. Paul to the Corinthians both encourage and challenge us: "My beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord." I Cor. 15:58. Sometimes one of the most difficult things to learn is how to remain steadfast, to hold on to the truth of God and man until we have proved our understanding of it and experienced healing. When we've been working in Christian Science and all our earnest study and prayer doesn't seem to be getting results, we may be tempted to give up. This is just when we need to hold more unmovably to the truth and refuse to let go.
At such times, it's always helpful for me to remember the certainty of success in healing that our Leader, Mary Baker Eddy, assures to those who faithfully follow the rules of the Science of Christ. "Hold thought steadfastly to the enduring, the good, and the true," she writes in Science and Health, "and you will bring these into your experience proportionably to their occupancy of your thoughts." Science and Health, p. 261. Note that there is no "maybe," no doubt, expressed here!
How can she be so sure? Because Christian Science is founded on the spiritual Truth revealed in the teachings and demonstrations of Christ Jesus. Following his example of spiritual healing, Mrs. Eddy gained infallible proof of the absolute soundness of Jesus' teaching, as expressed in his words of guidance to his followers in every age: "If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." John 8:31, 32. In her experience and in the experience of those she healed, Mrs. Eddy saw the unfailing operation of God's law. This evidence impelled her to assure us of victory over error if our fidelity to God's law remains unwavering.
