9) CS is personal
9.Christian Science has helped me in my own life. Isn’t it enough just to live it? why do I have to share it?
You don’t have to. You WANT to. Don’t you naturally share with your friends what you find helpful in your life? Of course, you do—every day. And Christian Science is the most profound thing of them all. It shapes your decisions, your motives. It gives you strength and clarity. And it heals! You would naturally tell others about it—when there are appropriate opportunities, of course. God provides those opportunities. And they bless you and others.
Michael Pabst, CSB, New York, USA Alum, Munich U. CSO—
Student browsing the “Goodness Day” inspirational table sponsored by the U. of Michigan CSO in 2005
How often do we tell people about a really good movie we’ve seen, or new song we’ve heard? Every time, right? We want them to experience it along with us because it’s so good! Well, why not Christian Science? Its message is bigger—infinitely bigger—than a movie or a song, no matter how good the latest ones are!
Sharing Christian Science with friends is natural, because you love the Christ—in them and in yourself. Actually, your living of Christian Science is a real-time example of what it means to lift up Christ in your life. Every day. Mary Baker Eddy wrote, “Let your light reflect Light.” (Miscellaneous Writings 154) And because you’re lifting up Christ, letting its Light stream through you, expect your friends to notice! They’ll want to know—and you’ll be ready to share. And you can do it in an authentic, unforced way.
Kevin Graunke, CSB, Wisconsin, USA Alum, U. of Wisconsin, Whitewater CSO—
How much fulfillment can an excellent musician or writer have if no one else enjoys his creative beauty or reads her works? It’s not enough to be alone with the good we are learning. God, the continual Giver, created us as His expression—to give. Those who cover a light to remain in a dark place or hide the one talent in the earth, will find fear and limitation, instead of freedom and growth. It’s a sneaky argument, that keeping good to yourself paves an easy path to good living. We can’t help ourselves by withholding good from others but instead deprive ourselves of progress in spiritual being. Life’s fullest blessings happen to givers.
Suzanne Riedel, CSB, Colorado, USA—
Pleazzzzzzzzzze share it. If the man who shared it with me at the party had thought the same, I would not be alive to write this nor would my children be healthy adults today. When he told me about Christian Science he didn’t know it was just what I was looking for. We were all smoking and drinking ourselves legless under the dinner table at a party. So pleazzzzzz go for it, I beg you.
Marta Greenwood, CSB, London, England—
Living is sharing. Your thoughts are expressed in your life as well as your words. If you do a kindness, don’t you speak kindly? If you are being patient, don’t you speak patiently? It’s equally important to act on good words as well as speak in support of good actions. Words without deeds is hypocrisy but deeds without words is fear. I do find it easier to simply act rightly rather than speak to people who are uninterested, unreceptive, resistant.
But Jesus told his students “Go into all the world, and preach the gospel [healing power of Christ] to every creature.” (Mark 16) People need to hear the truth! God is working with you and making every right word productive and healing. (Science and Health 410)
Elise Moore, CSB, Tennessee, USA Alum, Michigan State U. CSO—
We certainly do have to live it, but we can’t live it for ourselves alone, we have to live it for the world. Christian Science represents a scientific breakthrough in spirituality that the world needs to know about. See Retrospection and Introspection 93:17. We can’t let personal considerations or unease stop us from sharing the greatest gift there
is to give. That would be selfish. Funnily enough, Jesus didn’t send out his disciples
with these words: “As ye go, keep your mouth shut, don’t mention that the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal yourself, cleanse yourself, raise yourself from death, cast out your own demons: freely ye have received, freely keep it to yourself!”
The more you share the cup of cold water in Christ’s name the easier you’ll find it, and before you know it, you’ll really love sharing it! It is always cool to give gifts, especially this one!
Knowing that power comes from God, we have a responsibility to share it. However, in the CSO case, with great responsibility comes great joy, huge spiritual growth, and even greater dominion. We know “that all things work TOGETHER for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8) Moreover, CSO work is, in fact, always a “privilege” and never a burden (and I speak as one who was treasurer for my CSO for nearly 7 years, and also president for some of those years).
Daniel Scott, CS, Scarborough, England Alum, Cambridge U. CSO—
One thing I love about Mary Baker Eddy is that when she discovered the laws of God that made Christian healing possible today as in Jesus’ time, she didn’t use what she learned just for her own benefit. If she had kept it to herself instead of sharing it, we wouldn’t know about her discovery today. Because someone shared Christian Science with you or perhaps with your parents before you, you’ve had the advantage of knowing how to rely on God for all sorts of needs. Me, too. Don’t others deserve to have the same advantage we’ve had?
Marceil DeLacy, CSB, Washington, USA Alum, U. of Washington CSO
