2. II Kings 5 : 1, 9-15
10 And Elisha sent a messenger unto him, saying, Go and wash in Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be clean.
11 But Naaman was wroth…
13 And his servants came near, and spake unto him, and said, My father, if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it? how much rather then, when he saith to thee, Wash, and be clean?
While reading the lesson, it occurred to me how people often come to Christian Science with notions of their own worth and identity and what they are willing and able to give, and then when they feel the “price” asked of them feels too big (or too small, in this case) or outside of their comfort zone in any way or requires studying the lesson, etc., they turn away angry or disappointed and go back to their old life that was already failing them!
How wonderful that Naaman’s servants had the spiritual sense and moral courage (to whatever degree) to say “how much rather then” do what the Christ requires? Too often it seems, if error is not able to dull a person’s perception of this Science, it will work through those around them to discourage and derail spiritual growth. If Naaman had not had those supportive words from his servants to help him get over his pride, who knows how long it would have taken him to gain that humility and receptivity on his own. It may never have happened, since he would probably have gone back to Syria complaining of the “uselessness” of the only Truth that is capable of healing him.
I am grateful for this Church, which can be a great comfort especially if family and friends are less than agreeable to what is best for you. To witness and be a part of all this activity and joy is a wonderful thing! And to have access to practitioner support is so crucial, since we will have to learn to meet the resistance of the human mind to demonstrate this Science, and I for one would not have been able to do that without this support.
Thank you very much for this lesson, and all this Church offers!