Recently an alert popped up on my cellphone, advertising a new feature from my Internet provider. There were three options for me to choose from: “Yes, sign me up,” “No thank you,” or “Exit to screen.” That message popped up every day, and every day I chose to close it, instead of selecting either the negative or affirmative choice. I became so tired of seeing it pop up on my screen that one day I decided to hit the “No thank you” reply. The pop-up never showed up again.
This was a lesson to me about Christian Science prayer. Sometimes we may think that simply ignoring the challenge will make it go away. By doing this and not dealing with it directly, we allow it to continue its supposed existence. It lies just below the surface, popping up when we least expect it, keeping us from any real progress on the path to healing.
Mary Baker Eddy writes in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures: “If sin, sickness, and death were understood as nothingness, they would disappear. … How important, then, to choose good as the reality!” (pp. 480–481). What that says to me is that it’s not enough to “exit to screen.” When confronted with any adverse condition or situation, I need to say with authority, “No thank you!”
