Worcester Democrat and the ledger-enterprise., 1938-06-10

can enter in. The thinking of each
one who enters must be filed with
loving thanks to the great Giver.
There Is no use trying to enter Gods
kingdom without complying with
this law, for it is impossible to do so.
But, says someone, why should be
grateful to God, grateful for what?
Let us see.
I once knew woman who came
to a practitioner for help for seri.
Gus physical disease. The practitioner
soon saw that the patient was self
centered and needed to be awakened
to the law of unself1sh gratitude. She
told her that before she came again
she would expect her to write down
fifty things she was grateful for.
But" said the patient, II cannot do
that. What have to be grateful
for?" THAT is for you to discover"
said the practitioner. The patient
went away perplexed, but resolved to
do her part. So she set about think
ing what there was she could be
grateful for. She had some good
friends. She could be grateful for
them, of course. She had comforta-
BILE home, that was something more.
She enjoyed the sunshine and the
rain and the flowers and the birds.
AS she rode home on the Streetcar she
was grateful for the people who built
the line and those who ran it, for all
the inventors whose work had made
it possible. When she got home she
, l. IL ~ NJ
on the table and she knew at once
that she was profoundly grateful for
these great books and the ideas they
contained. So she went back to the
practitioner very soon with fifty and
more things for which she was feel
ing very grateful.
The exercise in being grateful-in
letting the forces Of love and appre-
citation hold Sway-waS repeated sew.
eral times, and the patient was de-
lighted and surprised to find out how
many things there were to be CRATE
full for so close by. Finally she be-
gan to see that what she was most
grateful for was God, grateful for
His love, His nearness, His power,
His law of life and health, grateful
for the fact that her real life was His
reflection, and ever expressing His
life and His law. Quite suddenly her
thinking had been turned rather in
side out, she felt. Instead of think
ing so much about her troubles and
the laws Of disease which had seemed
to threaten her with long period Of
illness she began to see better realm
Of life where there was much to be
grateful for. Through gratitude her
affection for the good was being
awakened, and her fear of sickness
was being lessened.
She began to recognize the i'm.
portant fact that when she was
grateful for the good all about her
she couldn't be fearful and fretful
about evil. She saw that the child Of
God was always conscious Of the
presence of good in its many forms,
and, being conscious only Of God and
His manifestations, could never be
really conscious Of the presence Of
evil. Real consciousness is cogni-
zant only of the things of God," says
Mrs. Eddy in Science and Health (p.
276). Gods law of gratitude was
nothing less than the energy of di-
vine Mind outlawing blindness to the
presence of good. Perhaps she had
not attained to the fullness of her
God-given consciousness in this re-
gard, but she glimpsed what it was,
and that it was, and she was started
on her way. Gratitude, she saw, was
not really an intermittent state of
iy,d fI0tn MI
from errors forces. It was actually a
continuing quality Of thought force
which lightens both life's load and
life's way. With deep, rich sense Of
gratitude to God in her heart she
found she could say with Jesus, my
yoke Is easy, and my burden Is light"
It didn't take long for this woman
to get her healing. Her fear Of phys
ical forces and medical laws dis
solved before the higher law Of graft
tude to God for His power, His pres
ence, and His ceaseless love for the
children Of men.
Take q firm hold on the idea Of
gratitude for the little things and the
big things that bless you and others.
Hold On to this idea, and It will give
you right Of entry into the courts Of
the Most High, into Gods very pres.
ence, for you will have complied with
the law stated by the Psalmist, en-
ter into his gates with Thanksgiving.
and into his courts with praise"
No Law BY Comparison
Have you ever been tempted to
think you might have some disease
because q relative or friend was hav.
ing or had had It? Or have you ever
been tempted to think that because
some people drink liquor, or smoke
tobacco. you might some day do that
too? This is q common suggestion OF
evil, comparing us with someone else
and arguing 1t Is likely to do to US
what it has done to him, as though
there were some real law to accom-
plish that. Never give error q place
to put its foot, never grant 1t q place,
person, or circumstance through
which to project itself into your ex-
perience. Lying suggestion argues:
Join In and do as the others do. Get
sick because they get sick, drink be-
cause others drink, smoke because
others smoke. Be Indifferent to and
ignorant Of God because others are.