A Note to You from the Executive Director

Jennifer Johnson

Executive Director

Dear friends,

It’ s hard to imagine that the small mustard seed, which can easily be blown away in the wind, ends up being such a large tree, which provides shade and nesting for the birds. The start of a right idea is like the mustard seed, it may be small at first, and easily overlooked, but it grows and matures in thought until it yields its fruit. How? Through our absolute faith that “ all things are possible to God, good. ” With absolute faith, faith that is based in the truths of God and man, the idea gains weight to not be so easily blown…it gains substance. What is the work needed to make this happen? Added to our absolute faith, is the necessity of watering the right idea, letting the sunlight of truth expand it in our thought, and even singing to it, that is, joyfully accepting it into thought. This expands the right idea, until it grows bigger, stronger, and faster. How much effort are you willing to put into that idea? What is the weight, or depth, of faith we ’ re giving to this seed, this spiritual right idea we ’ re growing? Are we actively acting on our absolute faith in God and man ’ s oneness? Can we just say we have faith in something and do nothing? No! “The highest prayer is not one of faith merely; it is demonstration ” (Science and Health 16:2–4).

Treatment in Christian Science, which is the application of a right idea to a false concept, isn ’t just mere faith, like we have faith the sun will rise in the morning. It is an absolute faith, a faith that sees the sunshine right there in the midst of the storm! It sees beyond the horizon to the fait accompli of the demonstration, even amidst socalled mortal mind’ s antics and drama.

At The Leaves, are we just watering, sunning and singing to the right idea in consciousness, our seed, with material means only? No! We are spiritually watering (baptizing), sunning (shining the light of Truth), and singing (joyfully affirming man ’ s oneness with God). We are consecrating and being consecrated with this inspiring right idea, – the right idea of perfect God and perfect man! This all takes action. - it takes work. It takes prayerful communion with divine Love. We all cherish Mary Baker Eddy ’ s statement, “The song of Christian Science is, ‘Work — work — work — watch and pray ’” (Message to The Mother Church for 1900 2:7–8). We cherish this statement because it reminds us that we are not to sit on our hands, but we are to be up and doing. We are to act, that is, be the very manifestation of divine Love, and we are to see everyone we meet in this same light.

It's not possible for man, God’ s idea, to stand still. It’ s not possible for man to be inactive. Movement, progress, spiritual advancement are the very activities of man, as reflected from God, good. It’ s so right for man to be balanced, to reflect equilibrium. This is part of man ’ s action, isn ’t it? Something that is balanced is something that is in continual motion and is in harmony with its surroundings. In fact, balance only happens in motion. Spiritual equilibrium, or balance, is stable and can only be felt in consistent action. If we freeze in the face of fear, if we take flight or if we fight in matter, we have just become imbalanced - we ’ ve let fear tip the scales. Instead, “ work, work, work, – watch and pray. ”

How do we choose which seed, right idea, we are meant to cultivate? God tells us, by giving us the right idea. How does it come to us? Sometimes it’ s a small whisper, sometimes it’ s a gentle nudging…or a prominent prod. God always has a place and purpose for us, and we can answer the call, and apply that seed of Truth to our own thought. This will clear up any seeming problem at hand. We must know our God-directed aim, and then strive and work to get there. Mary Baker Eddy says, “One's aim, a point beyond faith, should be to find the footsteps of Truth, the way to health and holiness. We should strive to reach the Horeb height where God is revealed; ” (Science and Health 241:23–26). Reaching this Horeb height, where we see, feel, and know God, where He is revealed to us, conforms our aims, our purpose, and our desires. Then we see God’ s aim for us, His purpose for us, His desire for us, unfold in our everyday lives.

We may ask ourselves: Can I do this with more love? Can I serve God and humanity better to reach that Horeb height? How? By listening and responding to the divine whispers and divine nudging; this reveals our purpose.

Do we need to have a crystal ball and foretell the future in order to know where we should be and what we should be doing? No! Our Leader notes, “The ancient prophets gained their foresight from a spiritual, incorporeal standpoint, not by foreshadowing evil and mistaking fact for fiction, — predicting the future from a groundwork of corporeality and human belief. When sufficiently advanced in Science to be in harmony with the truth of being, men become seers and prophets involuntarily, controlled not by demons, spirits, or demigods, but by the one Spirit. It is the prerogative of the everpresent, divine Mind, and of thought which is in rapport with this Mind, to know the past, the present, and the future” (Science and Health 84:3).

We don’t have to outline the way in which something will work out, in fact, if we do, we may be very disappointed. But if we have our direction from God, we can make steady strides in that direction without fear, because we are about our Father’s business. There can only be success and goodness involved by following our Father’s direction, so press confidently on! Do not wait and wonder (or wander), but make a step, take action, labor on.

We must know our God-directed aim, and then strive and work to get there.

We don’t have to outline the way in which something will work out, in fact, if we do, we may be very disappointed. But if we have our direction from God, we can make steady strides in that direction without fear, because we are about our Father’s business. There can only be success and goodness involved by following our Father’s direction, so press confidently on! Do not wait and wonder (or wander), but make a step, take action, labor on. This action is like a dance, it’s fluid, and we must be flexible as the general steps are unfolded to us. The dance doesn’t work if you freeze or fight against matter as if it’s real. Rather, we continue on and keep up with the beat. Keeping up with the times is an essential part of the work we do. If we are out of sync, we cannot help humanity in the way we could and should. “We need to keep pace with our own growth and progress. The necessity here indicated is beyond cavil; beyond resistance in your thought. ” Edward A. Kimball, C.S.D. said these words while making the motion to build and fund the extension of The Mother Church. As the membership in 1902 were called to build the extension, what are we in the present called upon to build? Is it more faith in God, an absolute faith? Is it a deeper clarity of the perfection of God and man? Is it to keep pace with God?

The Leaves has a steady aim and eye on prosperously continuing Christian Science nursing into the future. This will be done only as we all “work, work, work, watch and pray, ” in the present, in the here and now, in every God–given moment. Won’t you join me, as we link arms in helping and healing humanity, and walk the path with us as we step into the future of Christian Science nursing here at The Leaves? You’re invited to learn more in our Plans to Prosper Campaign at theleaves.org/planstoprosper.