We can support the homeless in our thoughts and prayers as valued children of God with a sacred purpose. Rather than feeling guilty, annoyed, or powerless when approached by people on the street asking for money, we can trust that God is unfolding a plan of good for each one. ]]> Monica Karal | from The Christian Science Monitor

Here in Montreal, a city of about 2 million, there are people with cup in hand asking for money in every part of town, male and female, of all ages and races. Many are polite, others can be quite persistent. It’s a growing social problem in many cities.

Passersby often feel conflicted about how to respond, or helpless to make a difference. Should you give them a few dollars out of compassion? What if they spend the money on drugs or alcohol? Aren’t they already receiving government assistance? Why don’t the younger ones get a job? How can we help them in a way that will contribute to genuine progress?

Social research shows that behind those outstretched hands are deeper human needs and issues: homelessness, family violence, mental illness, lack of job skills or literacy, addictions, disabilities, a history of failure, poor role models.

Thinking about this over the years and chatting with those asking for money on the street, I’ve come to feel that the real need is to gain a deeper sense of their worth and value. From my study of Christian Science, I’ve learned that God is the Creator, and has created each of us with a sacred purpose. And because we’re all created in God’s image and likeness (see Gen. 1:26-28), each of us reflects the spiritual qualities and capabilities to carry out this purpose.

The Bible explains: “There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all…. God works in different ways, but it is the same God who does the work in all of us. A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other” (I Cor. 12:4, 6, 7, New Living Translation).

Rather than worrying about whether or not to give to those asking for money (sometimes I do, sometimes I don’t), I’ve decided the most important thing is to see them through the eyes of the Creator, God, who is infinite divine Love. I can acknowledge that in God’s sight these individuals are whole and complete, with all their needs tenderly met by the Father-Mother who cares for all of us. And I can recognize each one as wanting a better life and capable of achieving it.

When I do give money, I like to silently affirm that the one divine Mind is guiding the person to use it in the most helpful way. And when I don’t give money, the simple act of offering a kind smile and a warm “hello” breaks down barriers and is often reciprocated.

In the Bible’s book of Acts (Chapter 3), a man with a disability asked the apostles Peter and Paul for money. They didn’t have any to give, and Peter told him so. But they must have perceived something deeper in the man’s request. Perhaps it was a yearning to feel the Christ, an immediate and practical sense of God’s loving presence and care. To me, the two apostles’ spiritual vision helped them see past outer appearances, to the man’s true identity as God’s likeness. This perception of the man’s spiritual nature, complete and fully functioning, actually healed him of his disability. It left him “leaping, and praising God” and presumably ready and eager to carry out his life purpose. Can this kind of spiritual thinking lead to practical change today?

In my former job as a counselor with homeless and troubled women, I found that what best supported their progress was to help them see their spiritual qualities and recover from a sense of hopelessness. As I listened to their stories of lost opportunities, we discovered together that each individual had valuable skills and talents that could be dusted off and brought back into service.

Mary Baker Eddy, founder of the Monitor, had a deep sense of the inherent value and potential of each person, no matter what their outer appearance or life history. She wrote, “Each individual must fill his own niche in time and eternity” (Retrospection and Introspection, p. 70).

Rather than feeling guilty, annoyed, or powerless when approached by people on the street asking for money, we can support them in our thoughts and prayers as valued children of God with a sacred purpose. Then we can trust that God is unfolding a plan of good for each one, as an infinitely loving Father-Mother naturally would.

Holding prayerfully to the truth of God’s ordered, conscious, harmonious control of the universe—in which chance has no foothold—is an important means of helping not just to shield humankind from harm, but ultimately to eliminate random instances of misfortune and destruction.]]> from The Christian Science Monitor

“Accidents will happen,” or so the saying goes. This year has seen its share of prominent examples that would seem to support that claim, including the oil rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico, the Upper Big Branch mine collapse in West Virginia, and two deadly train crashes in India, which also leads the world in traffic fatalities. A March report from the Russian Emergency Ministry predicted a rise in accidents this year throughout Russia, attributable to industrial accidents and explosions resulting from faulty equipment.

In other areas, the news is somewhat brighter. China’s road deaths have been falling significantly over the past decade. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that since 1979 the per capita number of traffic deaths in the United States has decreased by 35 percent. WardsAuto.com says the Swedish automaker Volvo announced publicly that it has set out to eliminate all deaths and serious injuries in its vehicles by the year 2020. According to the company’s senior manager in safety strategy, Jan Ivarsson, “Zero is the one and only alternative for us…. we can’t accept that people are killed or injured just because they want to transport themselves from A to B.

It’s heartening to find people and companies rejecting the idea of inevitable injury and death. But is it possible to go further? Is it reasonable for humankind actually to eliminate accidents themselves? In other words, must we take it as a given that, even if the personal, societal, and environmental harm they cause can be mitigated or eliminated, “accidents will [still] happen?”

One definition of “accident” offers some particularly interesting insights. This word, which dates from the late 14th century, derives from the Latin for “happen, fall out, fall upon.” And an evolution took place, whereby the meaning changed from signifying “something that happens, an event,” to “something that happens by chance,” to “mishap.” Evidently, an accident did not originally signify something evil or harmful.

This points to a much larger, biblical truth that rests at the very center of Christian Science teaching—a concept that offers much inspiration in the prayer to eliminate accidents and their effects from human lives. It’s not too much to say that, in the same way that harm is not part of that original definition of accident, neither is it inherent in our very identity and existence as God’s sons and daughters. Before the dream of existence in matter, as described in Genesis 2, clouded the facts of creation, no destruction, pain, suffering—no “mishap”—existed. The events, the happenings, which took place, were all beneficial and whole. God created all and pronounced it “very good”: the earth, the heavens, the creatures, and the “male and female”—man made in God’s image.

“If man was once perfect but has now lost his perfection,” wrote Mary Baker Eddy, who discovered Christian Science, “then mortals have never beheld in man the reflex image of God. The lost image is no image. The true likeness cannot be lost in divine reflection. Understanding this, Jesus said: ‘Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect’ ” (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 259). Many individuals have proved that when a spiritual understanding of one’s perfect reflection as God’s likeness forms the basis of prayer, healing happens, including the healing of injuries attributable to accidents. Many have been freed from traumatic memories of violence and injury, to the extent that they have said it was as though an accident never took place.

And to God, this has always been the fact. In the words of Science and Health, “Accidents are unknown to God, or immortal Mind,…” That passage continues with something that speaks directly to the underlying belief about accidents, including the previously mentioned definitions: “… and we must leave the mortal basis of belief and unite with the one Mind, in order to change the notion of chance to the proper sense of God’s unerring direction and thus bring out harmony” (Science and Health, p. 424).

Accepting the chance of good fortune implies the possible opposite as well— whereas, all chance and luck, good or bad, exist as a “notion,” a misconception that we are separate from our Creator and moving vulnerably in a material world of happenstance. The Science of Christ proves that as such misconceptions disappear from our thoughts, their harmful consequences disappear as well from our lives and the lives of others we hold in prayer.

In the effort to protect ourselves and our families, and the world at large, from sudden harm and random misfortune, we can realize a little more each day that chance happenings are unknown to the divine Mind that is God, and therefore impossible in the existence of all that Mind has created, right down to the very grains of ocean sand. Holding prayerfully to the truth of Mind’s ordered, conscious, harmonious control—in which chance has no foothold—will continue to be an important means of helping not just to shield humankind from harm, but ultimately to eliminate random instances of misfortune and destruction.

From an editorial in the Christian Science Sentinel.

As classroom doors swing open this fall, it’s important to hold the highest expectations for the success of each child. We can know there is no such thing as a “failing” child, because the promise of God’s creation lies within each one.]]> Jim Bencivenga | from The Christian Science Monitor

As classroom doors swing open this fall, what hope, what life, what promise, streams through them! How important then to hold the highest expectations for the success of each child. We can know there is no such thing as a “failing” child, because the promise of God’s creation lies within each one.

When it comes to education of the young, we all play a role. It is important we counter the drumbeat of negative media on how our schools are failing. For the neediest children, a quality education may be their only ticket to the opportunity to succeed. We can pray to know and support God’s care for both pupils and teachers. There is not a single person in a single classroom outside the reach of divinely inspired intelligence.

Mary Baker Eddy, in her book Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, has a lesson plan for the ages: “School-examinations are one-sided; it is not so much academic education, as a moral and spiritual culture, which lifts one higher. The pure and uplifting thoughts of the teacher, constantly imparted to pupils, will reach higher than the heavens of astronomy …” (Science and Health, p. 235). It is a point each one of us can take to heart in our dealings with children.

I was once president of a group home in Montana where teens, adjudicated for bad behavior, could live in the community under supervision and not be incarcerated. Some were victims of sex abuse and drug abuse, and would in turn sell drugs, or their bodies. My “lesson plan” was to cherish students’ destiny to know and love God. It was one that I, as much a child of God as the students, knew from my study of the Bible. The book of Jeremiah records God’s word as saying, “I will give them an heart to know me” (Jer. 24:7).

Helping students find yard work or other jobs communicated self-worth that could then be banked for future challenges, which in many cases meant not dropping out of school. A board member would “test” a new child before offering his or her services to the community.

One boy came to us because his parents had left him by the side of the road in the high plains on the Montana-North Dakota border. He was 13. Thankfully, it was summer. At one point, I had him mow my lawn. A power lawn mower is a serious tool. He was thrilled to be trusted to use one and took to it like a spring colt to a meadow. A small row of bushes bordered my yard, and in addition to the grass, he cut every single bush to the ground.

I knew more was at stake than my bushes. My initial anger (given the harsh winters, it would take a long time to grow those bushes back, if at all) was replaced by a healing insight—more than just a “teachable moment,” it was an angel message. God embraced this child. Could I do anything less? The example of the master teacher, Jesus, directed my thought: “And he took a child, and set him in the midst of them: and when he had taken him in his arms, he said … Whosoever shall receive one of such children in my name, receiveth me: and whosoever shall receive me, receiveth not me, but him that sent me” (Mark 9:36, 37).

I simply pointed out that bushes were not grass. I encouraged his good intentions and eagerness, attributes he would need in school and in life. And I learned what it meant to be touched by the knowledge and love of Christ in a way I cherish to this day.

“Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?” writes the Psalmist in the Bible. Praying to understand that God’s power and goodness are already at hand sustaining and protecting the trapped miners in Chile can be a big help to them.]]> Wendy DesAutels | from The Christian Science Monitor

My heart has gone out in prayer each day over the past week to the 33 trapped Chilean miners, their families, and rescuers. On the heels of the joyous news of their safety after 17 days in their tiny cavern came the crushing announcement that their eventual rescue may take as long as four months to complete. Thousands of feet of rock and potentially unstable layers of earth must be carefully drilled and removed in order to create a hole large enough to safely extract the men.

Also predicted are a host of physical and psychological challenges the men may encounter while they wait to be rescued. Chile’s health minister reported late last week, “We expect that after the initial euphoria of being found, we will likely see a period of depression and anguish¼. It would be naive to think they can keep their spirits up like this.”

There is, however, a different way of viewing the situation in Chile—one that helps us pray on behalf of the miners. One that sees the power of God already at hand sustaining, defending, protecting, and maintaining the peace, health, and harmony of those men. Christian Science, grounded in the teachings and demonstrations of Christ Jesus, reveals God as All—all powerful, always present, all loving, all real substance, and all true consciousness. This sense of God covers the whole ground of fear, worry, and speculation with the understanding that there is no place on earth where He is not immediately at hand to comfort and sustain humanity.

Grasping the depth and breadth of God’s allness, the Psalmist wrote, “Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?” (Ps. 139:7). The Message provides an insightful interpretation of that passage and what follows it: “Is there anyplace I can go to avoid your Spirit? to be out of your sight? If I climb to the sky, you’re there! If I go underground, you’re there!… Then I said to myself, ‘Oh, he even sees me in the dark! At night I’m immersed in the light!’” (Ps. 139:7, 8, 11). In our prayers for the miners we can begin with this simple truth that they are inseparable from God’s love. This love continuously flows from a limitless source and fills even the darkest physical and mental atmosphere with light and hope.

At one point during Christ Jesus’ ministry, after he healed a child of mental illness, he said, “If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you” (Matt. 17:20). This promise remains true for all humanity today. Knowing that every good outcome is possible to Almighty God enables us to pray about this situation, keeping thought uplifted to the spiritual facts of the situation, not buried under a weight of doubt and fear.

One definition of faith I’ve been considering recently is “gratitude ahead of time.” Faith is an unfailing trust in good, sometimes even before we actually see or know the outcome of a particular situation. Jesus demonstrated this kind of faith when he thanked God in advance of raising Lazarus from the dead (see John 11:41-44). Following Jesus’ example, we can thank God, who is infinite Love, for hearing our prayers now and always on behalf of our fellow man and woman.

Faith in God as the one divine Mind allows us to be grateful now for the intelligent unfolding of rescue efforts and the protection of everyone involved from mental and physical distress. Mary Baker Eddy, who discovered and founded Christian Science, wrote, “Your assumptions insist that there is more than one Mind, more than the one God; but verily I say unto you, God is All-in-all; and you can never be outside of His oneness” (Unity of Good, p. 24).

Our active faith, our commitment to praise God in advance for His goodness, will support the rescue effort. It will help remove the mountain of fear, worry, and speculation about the well-being of the miners and their families. It will help replace these fears with unwavering trust in ever-active good. Together we can rejoice in God’s protecting love for all His children, mentally embracing each miner, rescuer, and everyone in that community in the truth of their God-given freedom.

Thousands of Pakistanis find themselves in a difficult situation without much help or any answers in sight. But there is always, always the light of God, divine Love, breaking through in some way or another. We can trace the presence of Love and see practical solutions to benefit all Pakistanis.]]> Susan Mack | from The Christian Science Monitor

“When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him” (Isa. 59:19). This passage has been my cherished prayer over the past several weeks, as the reports of flooding in Pakistan have been coming in—thousands of lives lost, families displaced from their homes, drinking water unsafe, and a lack of clear and orderly aid and support from world relief organizations and the Pakistani government.

It’s certainly tempting to look down into the depths of the dark waters of this human tragedy. But what could be more needed at a time like this than a standard, a rallying flag of courage and hope, to lead forward and bring assurance of God’s loving comfort and support during even the worst of human disasters?

What does this standard look like? It looks like hearts yearning to help one another. It looks like courage to move a family to a place of refuge. It looks like families making unbelievable sacrifices to care for one another. It looks like the wisdom to find solutions to needs, in spite of apparent helplessness. It looks like comforting arms wrapped around a grieving neighbor. Compassion, courage, unselfishness, wisdom, comfort—these are attributes of God, who is divine Love, and whenever we see them expressed, we are seeing the proof of Love’s ever-presence irresistibly shining into a situation in spite of tragic circumstances.

And the importance of tracing these evidences of divine Love breaking through the confusion and despair is that the light of divine Love leads to practical solutions.

For instance, if you were in a dark cave and saw even a pinprick of sunlight, you would give your entire attention to that tiny bit of light, because you’d know it was the way out of the cave. You would be grateful for this shaft of light; you’d follow it with your whole heart, give all your energies and attention to tracing it as the path to freedom.

Similarly, when we or others are in a dark and difficult situation where things seem helpless and without answers, there is always, always the light of divine Love breaking through in some way or another. There is simply no opaqueness of finite life in matter that can possibly completely blot out the infinite, all-pervading spiritual facts of Life as the infinite God who is good. And as we turn thought upward and outward to this standard of God’s attributes being expressed and shining into the gloom, we can begin to trace the presence of divine Love and see practical solutions to the needs of the situation.

I certainly found this to be true when our family home was inundated in 1993, during the great flooding of the Mississippi River. For weeks I watched the river rise and one home after another in our small village along the Mississippi go under, until our outbuildings and home were also invaded. Yet during this time of destruction, displacement, and concern for how we would rebuild our lives, there was so much kindness expressed, so much help offered, so much courage in the face of personal safety, and so much evidence of our community coming together in love, that I felt certain that somehow good would come from this calamity.

Keeping my thoughts focused on this standard of divine Love led us to a temporary place to stay, thanks to a family member’s love. It also gave us strength and courage to face the cleanup when the waters receded, and enabled the discovery of resources of aid that would help us financially. This focus on divine Love also supplied us with ways to support our community through the recovery.

I held this passage from the Christian Science textbook by Mary Baker Eddy close in my heart during that experience: “As the children of Israel were guided triumphantly through the Red Sea, the dark ebbing and flowing tides of human fear,—as they were led through the wilderness, walking wearily through the great desert of human hopes, and anticipating the promised joy,—so shall the spiritual idea guide all right desires in their passage from sense to Soul, from a material sense of existence to the spiritual, up to the glory prepared for them who love God. Stately Science pauses not, but moves before them, a pillar of cloud by day and of fire by night, leading to divine heights” (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 566).

God is even now lifting up an unmistakable standard of divine Love for all those in Pakistan and all those around the world who are praying to support these dear ones. As we give our whole attention to tracing the evidences of Love in this situation, it will lead to answers of comfort, support, sustenance, safety, protection, and peace.

God’s light is shining in Iraq and Afghanistan—and any other trouble spot—right now. It is revealing a destiny of good, of strength, wisdom, freedom, and joy for these nations. Our prayers can support the emergence of that destiny in tangible ways.]]> Rosalie E. Dunbar| from The Christian Science Monitor

Ever since the expected drawdown of American troops in Iraq began, there has been speculation about what would happen as the process went forward. On August 25, a two-hour assault on 13 towns and cities killed at least 51 people, exacerbating fears of further misery to come. There have been other sporadic attacks, but this coordinated effort seemed designed to make the point that the insurgents can strike wherever and whenever they wish.

One Iraqi commented that since Saddam Hussein had fallen, “this is what we have–explosions, killing and looting. This is our destiny. It’s already written for us” (“Coordinated Attacks Strike 13 Towns and Cities in Iraq,” The New York Times, Aug. 25).

Actually, something quite different has been written for all of us, including the peoples of Iraq and Afghanistan, no matter what their religion, and for the troops remaining there. Our destiny is established not in the expectation of being powerless before forces of misery and evil but in the certainty that good can and will triumph.

The basis for this conviction is that God created man, both male and female, and He loved them from the beginning. Mary Baker Eddy, who discovered Christian Science and founded the Monitor, revealed the spiritual nature of God’s creation, which transcends material conditions that leave one feeling trapped in a blighted destiny. She wrote, “Man has a noble destiny; and the full-orbed significance of this destiny has dawned on the sick-bound and sin-enslaved” (No and Yes, p. 46).

This noble destiny is to live in harmony with one another, to be at peace. As one perceives his or her nature to be spiritual, and loved by God, sickness of heart over war and the dire images and the losses that accompany it can be alleviated. Freedom from enslavement to anger, bitterness, jealousy, rivalry, hopelessness, and other negative characteristics can be gained.

One of the lessons accompanying such prayer is that every individual has a good, God-given purpose. To see this for oneself and then for others, especially enemies, isn’t always easy. Making the effort, however, can change what “is written” in very dramatic ways. Obstacles to individual progress can fall, and on the international scale, opportunities for peace can open up.

Iraq’s elected government, which has spent five months struggling to come together, can also be blessed by prayers that recognize the noble destiny to which we all are called. Since this destiny rests in divine Spirit, which is pure and holy, it can’t be contaminated by fear, hatred, or a desire for revenge. Rather, there can be a willingness to love one another for the good of one’s people and for the sake of stability and progress in the nation. Such generosity of spirit is natural in the male and female of God’s creation. All of us can be blessed by cultivating it in ourselves and honoring it in others.

Jesus, who is recognized by Islam as a prophet, exhibited the ultimate selflessness in the face of others’ injustice. No matter what pressure he may have felt from the opposition to his teachings, he was unmoved. His love for God and man guided and protected him. This love can also protect us as we pray on behalf of Iraq and other nations in need of healing, including our own.

The Gospel of John makes this clear. Speaking of God’s Word, the power of Truth that brought forth life and the universe, John declared: “All that came to be was alive with his life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines on in the dark, and the darkness has never mastered it” (John 1:4, 5, New English Bible).

Jesus proved the power of Truth’s light through his healing ministry and his resurrection from death. That period of history in Jerusalem was dark indeed, with its own mental and physical violence. But the darkness didn’t master the light; Jesus rose from the grave in a triumph of holiness.

This light is shining in Iraq and Afghanistan—and any other trouble spot—right now. It is revealing a completely different destiny for these nations, a destiny of good, of strength, wisdom, freedom, and joy. Our prayers can support the emergence of that light in tangible ways, proving its redeeming power and promise to be true.

Rosalie E. Dunbar is news editor for the Christian Science magazines.

In his home’s basement with his family as tornado sirens wail outside, this man realizes that even in the face of severe weather, we can turn to God for guidance on what will keep us safe and enable us to help others most effectively.]]> Thomas R. Mitchinson | from The Christian Science Monitor

The tornado sirens had just gone off in my neighborhood. My family and I were sitting in our basement, and I was praying for our safety and our community. My prayer led me to think of the prophet Elijah’s fearless example. His whole life was one of searching for God and living what he found. He was courageous beyond measure, standing before many who refused to believe in a God who is Spirit.

One day after being threatened with death, this great man went to a mountain, where he could quietly think, pray, and listen to God. While he was there, he was exposed to examples of violent power: a fierce wind, an earthquake, and a fire. Yet Elijah learned, through the inspiration that God was giving him, that God wasn’t in any of these forces. After them, he heard God as a still, small voice, which guided him in his next steps (see I Kings 19:1-18).

Even in the face of severe weather, or in the aftermath when we’re trying to help those who have been victimized by such an occurrence, each of us can turn to God for guidance on what will keep us safe and enable us to help others most effectively.

In prayer, it’s legitimate to claim our right to be free from fear. Jesus was fearless in the face of a storm that threatened to sink the boat he and his disciples were using. The violent storm quickly arose while Jesus was asleep on the boat, and the disciples were sure they would perish. When they woke him up, he asked them, “What has happened to your faith?” (Luke 8:25, J.B. Phillips translation). Then he spoke to the storm, and it dissipated. To me, like Elijah, the Master concluded that the all-power of God dissipates harmful forces. And he proved this to be true.

Our prayer can support the right of everyone to be safe from harm, also for emergency workers to have wisdom as they strive to help affected communities. We will learn, as Elijah did, that God is not the source of earthquake, wind, and fire. Rather, God is our strong help in time of need.

The Bible states, “When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him” (Isa. 59:19). And in her book Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy made clear that God is the true power: “The material so-called gases and forces are counterfeits of the spiritual forces of divine Mind, whose potency is Truth, whose attraction is Love, whose adhesion and cohesion are Life, perpetuating the eternal facts of being” (Science and Health, p. 293).

One of these “eternal facts” is that Mind, Truth, Love, and Life—all synonyms for God—are our strong helpers in times of trouble. They bring us to the quiet mental place where our fears can be laid aside and we can trust God’s love to care for us and for all. In that special mental place, we can turn from storms of every kind and find in their place evidence of the supreme, loving, omnipresent, divine force. Jesus talked about entering the “closet,” closing the door, and praying there (see Matt. 6:6). And Science and Health states, “In the quiet sanctuary of earnest longings, we must deny sin and plead God’s allness” (Science and Health, p. 15).

That’s what I did that night of tornado sirens. I was in the mental closet of prayer. I silently acknowledged God’s beneficent allness, learning to understand that there is no destructive force in opposition to Him. Each of us can have faith in the all-power of God, and live from that basis. Then when storms of any kind come into our experience, we can face them unafraid.

The tornado sirens stopped. The storm passed, and we went upstairs to have dinner.

When driving, we can acknowledge the divine law of harmony and order as always operative in God’s kingdom. This way, we’re accepting that realm as the place where we and our fellow drivers actually live. Being conscious of divine Love’s universal law of harmony tempers irritation, softens impatience, and heightens alertness.]]> Robert R. MacKusick | from The Christian Science Monitor

Everyone is aware of the need for safety on the road because driving is the major mode of daily transportation for so many people. Still, some drivers put on a different persona when they get behind the wheel. Aggression, defensiveness, offensiveness, an expectation that they have the right to rule the road can all become the norm.

Sometimes people even treat driving like a game. A friend of mine, visiting one large city in South America, told me that taxi drivers and vendors with small cars literally play “chicken” with each other, although with hardly a dent or collision.

In the United States, millions of cars and trucks travel on major highways and congested city streets every day. So it’s easy to feel irritated now and then because the person in front of us is going too slow. Or the guy late for work is tailgating. Or the hot sports car is approaching too fast and has crossed the yellow line into your lane. Maybe we’ve all done those things from time to time.

One day I was driving through town behind a woman whose car was going extremely slowly. I groaned a bit. Then she slowed down even more. On went her left-turn signal, as she inched into the gas station. I stopped groaning and calmed down. The thought came to me, Be Christian. She’s doing her best. She might be from “away,” or almost out of gas. Be kind.

Instead of gunning my car in frustration and self-righteousness so I could get around her after she turned, I intentionally went around her carefully, in a spirit of genuine Christian compassion. And I was so glad I did—not only for my own peace of mind, but for what almost happened at the next cross street. A car started through the intersection without having fully stopped. Had I been there just a few seconds earlier, we might have collided. But we didn’t. No harm done. I felt doubly grateful.

To me, this simple example of protection helped me see that there is a law of harmony at work bringing peace and safety to the roads we all travel. The Bible says, “When a man’s ways please the Lord, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him” (Prov. 16:7).

We can “please the Lord” by acknowledging the divine law of harmony and order as always operative in God’s kingdom. When we do this, we are accepting that realm as the place where we and our fellow drivers actually live. Being conscious of divine Love’s universal law of harmony tempers irritation, softens impatience, and heightens alertness. Our fellow drivers are no longer our enemies, nor are we combatants.

Mary Baker Eddy, who discovered Christian Science, wrote, “God is Father, infinite, and this great truth, when understood in its divine metaphysics, will establish the brotherhood of man, end wars, and demonstrate ‘on earth peace, good will toward men’” (The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany, p. 279).

Putting God’s law of Christian brotherhood and sisterhood into practice is also very practical. How grateful we can be for those drivers who stay in their lanes, stick to the speed limit, pull over to talk on the cellphone, and use turn signals thoughtfully.

I still think of that experience with the woman who drove so slowly that morning. It was humbling for me to see directly the value of being more Christian, especially through the safety we all experienced at the next intersection. It taught me a good lesson. And I hope I’ve been a better, more Christian, driver since.

Christian Science provides valuable tools to help everyone find peace of mind and be safe. God’s guidance and direction can always be tangibly felt and can keep us safe wherever we are.]]> Katherine Stephen | from The Christian Science Monitor

When our son called from the departure lounge at the airport to say goodbye, there was understandably a bit of apprehension in his voice. Now a young adult, he was soon to take off, traveling independently of us, to another continent for the first time, like many young people who study abroad or go to other continents for such projects as community service.

I felt some apprehension too. During his time abroad, our son would be outside the sphere of our immediate assistance if a difficult situation arose. But I’m grateful to say that quickly following that feeling of apprehension, I felt the conviction that God’s protection and presence would be with him, so his time abroad would be safe and worthwhile. This feeling resulted from my study of Christian Science and the many ways it has helped my family and me over the years.

These days it has become more common for younger students to travel abroad, and many parents have apprehensions. Parents who might feel it wasn’t long ago when they were reading their children The Runaway Bunny, the children’s classic that illustrates how it’s impossible for a baby rabbit to escape its mother’s love, are now faced with airport goodbyes as their sons or daughters head for distant lands.

It’s not always easy to find the balance between being relaxed enough to allow one’s growing children the freedom they may need to develop, and being “helicopter parents”—a term coined recently to describe overprotective mothers and fathers who hover over their offspring.

Christian Science provides valuable tools to help everyone find peace of mind and to pray and experience protection and well-being, whether they’re at home or abroad. In Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy assured us: “When we wait patiently on God and seek Truth righteously, He directs our path” (Science and Health, p. 254). By listening for divine guidance and direction, intelligent decisions can be made regarding travel for young people—whether they should go, where they go, when, and with whom.

During our son’s time abroad, he let us know that he was grateful that the trip was going smoothly. The fact that no challenges emerged was wonderful evidence of the effectiveness of prayer. The night before coming home, though, he called to say that he was apprehensive about the trip back. During his time away, he had been with others who spoke the local language. Now he was concerned that not speaking the language could prove difficult while traveling alone, especially if a difficulty arose. I reassured him that God had been present with him during his stay and would be present with him on his journey home.

That night the healing conviction clearly came to me that there was in God’s presence no “foreign” experience, and that in spite of the language differences and other stumbling blocks there need not be a barrier to the expression of goodwill between people. I’m grateful that his return journey was peaceful.

This divine guidance and direction from the Bible can be tangibly felt when contemplating decisions regarding travel: “Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?” asks the Psalmist, who concluded that there was nowhere he could go where he would not be in God’s presence. “If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me” (Ps. 139:7-10).

The protection and love of our Father-Mother God is omnipresent, a power that transcends the boundaries and limitations of time and distance. That protection is with each child of God wherever he or she may go. God’s love is never oppressive, smothering, or selfish. And when an activity is rightly motivated, there can be confidence that God will bless those who are endeavoring to reflect His goodness, mercy, and grace.