Day 205: Master the Propensities

405:5-407:5

I don’t know if I’m following Mary Baker Eddy so closely that the questions in the book are falling into my life or the questions from my life are running ahead and jumping into the book. I’m going to assume this is a good step.

I’ve been thinking about my general mental state. Things tend to bother me and I brood on them. Then I stupidly act on them: say something dumb, do something selfish or thoughtless. So my mental skills need work. Mary Baker Eddy listed those things I’ve been working on (how did she know?):

Christian Science commands man to master the propensities, -- [1] to hold hatred in abeyance with kindness, [2] to conquer lust with chastity, [3] revenge with charity, and [4] to overcome deceit with honesty.

Then something to think about as I try to calm my mind:

Inharmony of any kind involves weakness of suffering, – a loss of control over the body.