I had reason to reflect on Jesus' emphasis on forgiveness (see Matt. 18:21, 22) when my dearly loved daughter, struggling with a difficult and unrewarding relationship, came with her baby to make her home with me. Her attitude was defensive, and it seemed that many times my best efforts to comfort or advise were met with rebuff and, at times, hostility.
I turned to God for answers. I recalled this statement in Science and Health: "Human hate has no legitimate mandate and no kingdom. Love is enthroned" (p. 454). When divine Love is enthroned in our thought, it is the reigning sovereign of our home, our relationships, and our loved ones. This statement in Miscellaneous Writings by Mary Baker Eddy also helped me: "The mental arrow shot from another's bow is practically harmless, unless our own thought barbs it" (pp. 223–224). This alerted me to refuse to react to the situation with anger or frustration. Holding to these truths resulted in a loving, harmonious relationship with my daughter. Soon she found a happy and secure home for herself and her little one through marriage to a loving, Christian man.
Sometimes we are tempted to recall past incidents where we felt unjustly treated or maligned, or our own past offenses or failures may prey on our conscience. We can be released from these burdens by knowing that the history of evil is unreal, as in a dream. God's perfect child—that's you and me as we really are—can never be separated from the love and wisdom of our ever-present Father-Mother, God.
