As soon as cooler weather sets in, many start worrying about “germs,” which seem to take the forefront of public thought like actors on a stage, claiming “the flu season” as their own.
But in fact, the derivation of the word germ doesn’t indicate something meant to cause harm. It comes from the Latin, meaning bud, sprout, embryo. In the spiritual language of Christian Science, germ maintains its positive meaning and can serve as a bulwark of healthy thinking and protected lives. Mary Baker Eddy states, “A germ of infinite Truth … is the higher hope on earth …” (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 361).
When asked if she believed in “the bacteria theory of the propagation of disease” Mrs. Eddy replied: “If I harbored that idea about a disease, I should think myself in danger of catching it” (The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany, p. 344). Instead, she followed Jesus, immunizing thought with the Christly idea that “matter can make no conditions for man” (Science and Health, p. 120).
Last winter, many co-workers around our small office seemed to be sick with seasonal symptoms. My attitude of “I can’t be sick, I have work to do” didn’t serve me well. It was late afternoon, and I came home from work, realizing that I, too, had been fearful of falling ill. So, having been healed through scientific prayer many times before, I turned to thoughts of God’s goodness and His omnipotence, and the dominion of spiritual being we all reflect.
I claimed that neither I nor any of God’s children are hosts to sickness, but rather to seeds of spiritual growth.
Mentally reviewing “the scientific statement of being” (Science and Health, p. 468), which distinguishes between material man and spiritual man, I consciously chose to identify myself as the latter. Making a mental analysis of my obedience to the Ten Commandments (see Exodus 20:3–17) served to bring negative thoughts and critical judgments into check. Relaxing with the Beatitudes (see Matthew 5:3–12) allowed the return of humility—harmonious attunement with God—to my thinking. Recognizing divine Mind’s omnipotence and omnipresence, I surrendered thought to healing.
Thanks to Christian Science, I was not reaching for a tissue, but for what more I could learn about God, the Spirit of all being. I claimed that neither I nor any of God’s children are hosts to sickness, but rather to seeds of spiritual growth. Working prayerfully all evening, I left the matter to rest with God. I went to bed feeling completely assured of my wellness, woke up in perfect health, and gratefully went to work.
By claiming God’s omnipotence and our reflected dominion, we find that we have a whole lot to be joyful about, as we move through the so-called “colds and flu season.” As Mrs. Eddy puts it, “We can rejoice that every germ of goodness will at last struggle into freedom and greatness …” (No and Yes, p. 8).
