The Sin of Complaining

I am very grateful to be part of this church and to be learning how to apply Christian Science correctly in my daily life. Before coming to Plainfield Christian Science Church, Independent, I had a very limited and confused approach to my practice of this Science of Christ. I was trying to make my life comfortable, all the while failing to recognize or correct my sinful behavior.

At a very young age, I developed the habit of complaining, and later it became a deeply ingrained attitude in my life.  It was not a blessing to me or those around me. This thinking opened the door to other sins, such as discontent, self-pity, and their cousins. I attempted to correct the behavior, but with limited success, because there were errors in thought that had not been eradicated by Truth and would resurface. It wasn’t until I came to Plainfield, started attending their classes, and worked with a practitioner here that I became aware that complaining was considered a sin against God, and that I was breaking commandments while harboring a very ungrateful attitude. My practitioner gave me a life-saving assignment: to keep a gratitude journal, looking for the good around me and remembering to thank God for everything. The instructions here gave me practical tools, enabling me to address this thinking with a Bible-based scientific spiritual approach that started breaking down this stronghold.

I had to go through several tough experiences to realize the discipline necessary for watching the feelings and thoughts I was letting in, stopping them instantly, and replacing them with the Truth of Being found in Christian Science. I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to change, and I am now embracing a spirit of gratitude, finding contentment in knowing that God is my source of good and the source of everyone’s good. Other blessings include greater patience, joy, health, and usefulness to God. Joy comes from working for God rather than circumstances. My practitioner had me work with Mary Baker Eddy’s poem, “O Gentle Presence,” to remind me to bring this attitude with me wherever I go.

Thanks to our loving God, our wayshower, Christ Jesus, and dear Mary Baker Eddy, for her unimaginable sacrifice, which enabled us to have Christian Science, my practitioner, and this church, which provides clear teachings of Christian Science.