This statement by Mary Baker Eddy in the Christian Science textbook has always been important to me: “Stand porter at the door of thought. Admitting only such conclusions as you wish realized in bodily results, you will control yourself harmoniously” (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 392).
When I think of a porter, I think of the day we arrived at the entrance of a beautiful hotel. A porter stood at the door, wearing a smart red coat with black trousers. He immediately greeted us and had someone see to our luggage. Then with a welcoming smile he opened the large doors of the hotel and directed us in.
I later discovered that this was not the only job a porter has to do. If someone comes to the door of the hotel who shouldn’t be there, he has the authority and obligation to stop them from entering. It is the porter’s responsibility to welcome those that belong in the hotel and to keep out those who do not. So a porter must always be alert to those arriving.
