Good news!

As cold waters to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country," n1 declared the writer of Proverbs. Good news is always welcome. But bad news more often makes the headlines.

n1 Proverbs 25:25.

Someone once said that the letters in the word "news" stand for the four directions from which news comes: north, east, west, and south. Sometimes the news from every direction seems distressing. Famine, disaster, strife, tension -- the good news can appear totally overshadowed. Unless we are alert, we can become caught up in the bad news -- even fascinated by it, like a child hypnotically watching a horror movie despite the consequences on his impressionable thought.

This newspaper was founded by a woman who observed, "Looking over the newspapers of the day, one naturally reflects that it is dangerous to live, so loaded with disease seems the very air. These descriptions carry fears to many minds, to be depicted in some future time upon the body. A periodical of our own will counteract to some extent this public noisance; for through our paper, at the price at which we shall issue it, we shall be able to reach many homes with healing, purifying thought." n2

n2 Miscellaneous Writings,m p. 7.

This woman was Mary Baker Eddy, Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science -- a Science in direct accord with Christ Jesus' words and works. The Master's ministry was the best news the world had ever heard. Word of his marvelous healing spread quickly and brought him students as well as those seeking relief from distress.

Today the news of the Christ-power continues to spread through Christian healing. This Christ-power stems from God, omnipotent good, the perfect creator of all.

The message of the Christ proclaims is that man is God's expression, reflecting His integrity and power. Man is not a mortal shuttlecock, to be flung back and forth among conflicting mental trends and forces, or between sickness and health. He is the cherished idea of divine Love.

Each of us has authority to prove the perfection of our own true nature in healing. We do this through applying what understanding we gain of God and His creation to human situations, our own or the world's at large. The result, healing, is truly the ultimate in good news, the confirmation that God's love is real.

As in Jesus' day, however, there continues to be resistance to the good news of healing, to spiritual means of salvation from sin and disease. Realizing this, Mrs. Eddy once commented, "We have asked, in our selfishness, to wait until the age advanced to a more practical and spiritual religion before arguing with the world the great subject of Christian healing; but our answer was, 'Then there were no cross to take up, and less need of publishing the good news.'" n3

n3 Christian Healing,m p. 1.

In my own family, the good news of spiritual healing reached into a Midwestern farm home and saved a baby facing a hazardous birth complication.A Christian Science practitioner who was called affirmed through prayer that the action of God, divine Life, is in perfect control of all His creation. The result was that both mother and child came safely through the experience. I was that child, and now my family and I continue to reap the benefits of adherence to the Christian Science life standard.

The Bible, referred to by some as the saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good." n4 Perfection is God's gift to His immortal creation. What marvelous good news!

n4 Genesis 1:31.

DAILY BIBLE VERSE The gospel must first be published among all nations Mark 13:10