One day while I was working in the Reading Room of my local Christian Science church, a gentleman whom I hadn’t seen before came in the door. He began asking questions about Christian Science. When I mentioned Mary Baker Eddy, the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, he became slightly irate, insisting that he didn’t want to hear about her. Then he stood up abruptly and said he had to leave but would be back in an hour. He asked me what time the Reading Room closed.
My first thought was to say that it closed in an hour, which wasn’t true. But I remembered the importance of honesty. In the Christian Science textbook, Mrs. Eddy states: “Honesty is spiritual power. Dishonesty is human weakness, which forfeits divine help” (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 453). Seeing that I could use some divine help right then, I answered truthfully and told him we were open for another two hours. I added that I looked forward to seeing him again.
After the man left, I prayed that God would guide me to know what to say that would be of help, and that the man would be receptive, if in fact he returned. I realized that someone may not know what brings them to a Christian Science Reading Room, and that there are sincere seekers for Truth everywhere. I felt that this man’s antagonism to the idea of having a discussion about Mrs. Eddy was an illustration of the resistance of materiality to truth. I saw this as an opportunity to affirm that God is Truth, the only power, the one divine source from which comes all truth. Nothing can challenge or oppose Truth, or hide it from those who are sincerely searching for it.
