In First Peter, we read the instruction to "be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you..." I Pet. 3:15.. Yet, there is often tremendous resistance, fear, and confusion when it comes to speaking with others about God and Christian Science.
The Book of Lists once cited a poll conducted in the United States in which 41 percent of those asked to name their biggest fear listed fear of "speaking before a group." Now, not everyone feels this strongly about it, but how many people do you know who say they are terrified of speaking in public, or are at least hesitant? Perhaps you have even felt this way—and your willingness to accept the position as Assistant Committee on Publication in your branch church or as a prospective speaker for the Committee has been a huge leap of faith. After all, you might be called upon to give a report at a church business meeting, speak in front of a film crew for a television interview, or address a religious class at your local university.
We will not be afraid if our hearts are filled with love. As we read in First John, "Perfect love casteth out fear" I John 4:18..—and that must include the fear of speaking to others about God. Love not only frees us from fear, but it is love for God and man that should be the underlying motive in all of our communications.
A mother told me that recently her little girl learned how to wave and thought it was the greatest of fun. One afternoon the mother and child were running a quick errand in their car when they pulled up to a stoplight. The mother glanced over at a battered pickup truck next to them and noticed what she perceived to be a very "scruffy-looking" man in it. She looked again, and this time she saw her little girl smiling merrily and waving to him.
It's this kind of nonjudgmental, unprejudiced, even unconditional, love that opens our lives and churches up to new opportunities to reach out to our neighbors, speak with them heart to heart, and heal them. Each of us can speak to and respond to others as naturally and uncritically as a child, for man is in fact the child of God, the eternal expression of Love.
A childlike thought is pure, simple, and modest. It exists at a state of readiness to learn. Christ Jesus valued keenness, yet he knew the need for the pure and simple thought—rather than an arrogantly intellectual attitude. At one gathering, when his disciples rebuked those who had brought children to the Master, Jesus welcomed the children and said one couldn't enter the kingdom of God except as a little child. See Mark 10:13—16.
When speaking before an audience, we can not only express childlike qualities ourselves, we can also acknowledge and cherish the childlike thought within each one present. It is this pure thought that finds a discussion of God, divine Truth, completely natural. And because man is the very expression of Truth, we can expect each one to love and respond naturally to the spiritual truths we share.
Metaphysics is not only natural but also lively and interesting—because it is an outcome of Life and Soul. It is not boring. Mrs. Eddy pointed this out when she said: "Metaphysics, as taught by me at the Massachusetts Metaphysical College, is far from dry and abstract. It is a Science that has the animus of Truth." Miscellaneous Writings, p. 38..
Jesus was animated by Truth and Love. It was his love for his listeners that impelled him to communicate with them in a way they could understand. He was a carpenter by trade, yet when he spoke with fishermen, he spoke of fish. At other times he spoke of sheep, a lost lamb, seedtime and harvest. These were subjects totally familiar to his society.
It was the Christ, God's own message to humanity, which Jesus so perfectly embodied. And this Christ enabled him to reach his audience right where they were—right where their hearts and concerns were—in a language they could understand.
It was the Christ that enabled Jesus to speak about issues with perfect ease. He answered questions with the intuition usually attributed to womanhood and the logic to manhood. He knew when to speak with the gentleness and tenderness and nurturing of Mother-love and when to speak with the firmness and strength of Father-love. And it is this same eternal Christ that will guide us in how to speak with others in a truly effective way, a healing way.
It is the opposite of Love that would make us feel a false reserve when an individual or a group asks us about our religion. It is the opposite of Love that would make us hesitate to share spiritual truths when someone has a need for healing. It is the opposite of Love that would make us resist an opportunity to speak with a group or a neighbor about divine Science. This opposite of Love is nothing but animal magnetism. Animal magnetism, the belief that intelligence and existence are material, would suggest that we are not capable of speaking about the Life that is Spirit. But just as a child will freely convey his love and joy, we have the inherent capacity to express God. There is no power that can stop us.
Mrs. Eddy assures us of our ability when she writes: "Man is God's image and likeness; whatever is possible to God, is possible to man as God's reflection. Through the transparency of Science we learn this, and receive it: learn that man can fulfil the Scriptures in every instance; that if he open his mouth it shall be filled—not by reason of the schools, or learning, but by the natural ability, that reflection already has bestowed on him, to give utterance to Truth." Ibid., p. 183..
But what happens when those who are listening object to what we are saying? Every disciple has to learn to respond graciously in the face of rejection. Jesus' disciples saw their Master continue his healing work in the face of verbal attack. When he went to heal Jairus's daughter, people who were there "laughed him to scorn," Matt. 9:24.. yet he didn't stop to justify himself or to argue with the spiritual ignorance of mortal mind, the so-called mind separate from God. Entirely free from personal sense, he walked through the false accusations and the misunderstandings, and healed the child.
Later the disciples would see Jesus challenged by the chief priests and elders and answer nothing. He knew self-justification was no part of effective communication. Nor was a quick or spiteful retort.
It was Jesus' hope to empower his listeners with spiritual understanding and enlightenment. Through deep spiritualization of thought and a growing love for God and man, his disciples learned to value and trust their ability to share the Master's message. We have that same God-given ability.
There is a story of a dinner party where the hostess asked each of the guests to bring something to perform. Among some of the guests were writers and authors. After dinner, each gave his or her reading. One man, who was a famous orator, read the twenty-third Psalm. They were all touched by his reading and most impressed.
Each of us can speak
to and respond to others
as naturally and uncritically
as a child, for man is in fact
the child of God, the
eternal expression of Love.
Finally, there was one last woman whose turn it was to read. She was a modest woman, not particularly accomplished, and said that she would decline because she, too, had brought the twenty-third Psalm and it had already been read. They encouraged her to go ahead and read it. After she did so, there was stunned silence. Then, one by one, they stood up to give her applause. At last, the orator stepped forward and said, "I knew the technique; but you, my dear, you knew the Shepherd."
You know the Shepherd, too. You have a message to share—a message of the truth of man's being. It can be shared with Christly confidence, with childlike simplicity, with spiritual maturity, and with brotherly love. You are "ready always to give an answer."
