Look Past the Signs
IN recent years, the public has received quite an education through the media as to which economic signs and indicators people should watch in order to understand the economy. I had watched these various numbers and rates closely myself in the past, but began to wonder if I was any better off for it. The more I studied the economy, the more I worried about my future. Finally I decided that I needed to stop paying so much attention to economic ups and downs and start paying more attention to God--who, I w as learning from my study of Christian Science, is the real source of what I need to live a happy, fulfilling life.
My close studying of the economy had been tied to the belief that supply was material and was therefore governed by prevailing economic conditions. When I turned to God, however, I began to see that supply was not dependent on my financial condition but was spiritual. And though God does not give us material things, He does give us spiritual ideas. These ideas broaden our perspective, inspire thought, and provide fresh insights into how we can rely upon God's infinite supply of good. To receive the heali ng benefits these spiritual ideas bring, we must be willing to accept them and act accordingly.
In Christ Jesus' time many were hesitant to accept the gift God was giving the world through the life and teachings of the Master, and some adamantly resisted it. In one case, Matthew's Gospel tells us, they were too concerned with getting Jesus to provide them with a material sign as proof of his Messiahship. This had the effect of blinding them to Jesus' deeper spiritual message. Jesus rebuked them by saying: ``When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red. And in the morning,
It will be foul weather to-day: for the sky is red and lowering. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times?
We must not become so wrapped up in economic analysis that we fall into the same trap and fail to discern the spiritual answers God is already giving us. These answers come to us through the ever-present Christ, and they are knowable and understandable when we pray attentively.
In her book Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy, the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, tells how we can pray and find freedom from any limitation. She assures us of God's readiness to care for His creation when she writes: ``God is not influenced by man. The `divine ear' is not an auditory nerve. It is the all-hearing and all-knowing Mind, to whom each need of man is always known and by whom it will be supplied.
Christ Jesus has given us a perfect example of how to rely upon God for the supply of our every need. He was not impressed by outward evidences of lack, whether in health, morals, or supply. He lived so at one with God that he was able to prove the presence of God's goodness right where there appeared to be nothing but lack. If we follow his example, we can begin to do the same in our own lives.
Unemployment figures, levels of debt, and other economic measurements are not the determiners of true well-being. God governs man. He gives us what we need through His spiritual ideas, and these ideas in turn lead to healing. This is a fact we can count on!
Healing through prayer is explored in more detail in a weekly magazine, the Christian Science Sentinel.
