"Precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little and there a little." Isaiah 28:10
"Precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little and there a little." Isaiah 28:10
The ideas shared in the letter from Susie Jostyn came into sharp focus when addressing a distressing situation which had developed in a local organisation of which I am the secretary. This involved a member of the Committee being removed from a position as spokesperson for an important local issue, which resulted in a great deal of bad and hurt feelings as well as a series of angry emails.
During the week leading up to the organisation’s AGM it seemed inevitable that – unless a resolution could be found beforehand – the meeting would be disrupted by this grievance being aired publicly. I contacted a Christian Science practitioner to support me and immediately felt the fear lifting. The practitioner asked me what I would do if I was stranded in a cove with the sea coming in and no way out. The only thing I could think of doing was to swim out to sea. She explained that from that position I would be able to see an escape route which had not been visible before. The practitioner likened this to Mary Baker Eddy’s words to Adam Dickey: “There have been times in working out a problem when I have not known just what step to take, and finding it necessary to make a move of some sort, I have taken a step as nearly as I could in the right direction. Perhaps I would find out shortly that it was wrong, but this step gave me a new point of view that I would not have had, had I not taken it as I did. I would not condemn myself, therefore, for what seemed to be a mistake but would include it as part of the working out of the problem.” (“We Knew Mary Baker Eddy”, Vol. II, Expanded Edition, page 429).
I found these ideas really helpful in dropping self-justification and listening for the way forward. An email from the individual concerned opened up the possibility of holding a Committee meeting which I set in motion. However no agreement on the agenda was reached and all members of the Committee arrived for the meeting except the individual concerned. It came to me to telephone her and ask if she was intending to come. Whilst on the phone I prayed to be led what to say and we had a long conversation in which I mostly listened, and many of the points of difference started to fall away. However, the following day was when the AGM was to be held and it seemed that we were still heading for a show-down.
That weekend I had been to see a film in which Tom Hanks played the role of the children’s television presenter, Fred Rogers. I was struck by the patient love and grace that he expressed in his encounters with the journalist he befriended. I really felt the presence of grace, patience and love which he expressed.
When reading the lesson that morning these words in Science and Health came to me that what I most needed was: “ . . . the prayer of fervent desire for growth in grace expressed in patience, meekness, love and good deeds.” I explained this to the practitioner who shared a Journal article on this subject by William Rathvon. As I studied the article, I had a profound sense of the presence of God’s patience. The article stated: “ . . . few of us know what true patience involves until Christian Science enters our lives; . . . in Christian Science patience is much more than merely waiting for something to mature or to come to pass . . . where there is true patience there will be no disappointment; for disappointment is evolved from distrust, self-will and impatience. He who subordinates self and trusts in the omniscience of God, the all-wisdom of good, and patiently expects its manifestation, never outlining what God should do or how He should do it, is a stranger to disappointment.” (“What we most need”, William Rathvon, The Christian Science Journal, September 1924).
In that moment I truly felt the presence of divine patience and, when I looked up, I saw an email come into my inbox from the Committee member. She referred to the telephone conversation we had had the day before and mentioned that she was in that morning. I prayed, waiting on God alone to give the answers, and, dropping all feelings of self-righteousness, I prayed to see the individual as God’s loved child. Whilst feeling the presence of Love and fervently asking Love to tell me what to say and how to respond, I called her and it came to me to ask what would resolve the situation. I was able to listen for what to say to the Chairman and after a few phone calls when I spoke to each of the parties, although there still remained tensions, a way forward was agreed. The AGM that evening went ahead and much grace was expressed by all involved.
The following morning, when studying the lesson, I felt so grateful for the harmony that I had witnessed unfolding once I had let go of personal agenda and put my trust entirely in God’s unfoldment of good. That morning I received a ‘phone call from the Chairman who was calling to see how I was. This gave me the opportunity to explain that I had engaged the support of a Christian Science practitioner and was able to share with him how this healing had taken place. We concluded the discussion with him saying “Well, maybe there isa God!” We then discussed an outstanding issue which needed resolving and he agreed to call the Committee member and talk to her about it. This led to a complete healing of the whole matter.
This really demonstrated to me in a profound way the answer to Susie Jostyn’s question: why I love, enjoy, and am grateful for God. A natural part of the demonstration was sharing it with someone unfamiliar with Christian Science.
We are now facing unprecedented times in the current lockdown and the need for us to be able to share meaningfully with our friends, families and communities the message of hope and healing that Science teaches. I am grateful for having had the privilege of witnessing the Truth of God and man in my own experience and am praying for the opportunities to share these healing messages in ways that people can understand.
I am most grateful for being a student of this Science and to be included in our association family.