Just the Right Idea
If you were to ask me about my dad, the first thing I would tell you is that he loved God. Praying to God was not a ritual with either one of my parents; it was just as natural as breathing in the air around them.
During his lifetime, Dad was chief engineer for several large aeronautical engineering companies, and he held many patents in the field of aeronautics. He was also very widely read, especially loving books on Bible history and books written by the world's best thinkers, past and present. Dad loved Christian Science. He appreciated the fact that the truth of this Science, the laws of God, can be proved irrefutably, bringing healing and improving human experience. No doubt he considered Mary Baker Eddy, who discovered Christian Science, to be one of the greatest thinkers of our times. Dad particularly loved a statement in her book Miscellaneous Writings, "God gives you His spiritual ideas, and in turn, they give you daily supplies" (p. 307).
Dad didn't rely just on his own expertise to solve problems. For instance, at one time his firm had only one day to come up with a solution to a highly technical problem. He had virtually no knowledge of how to design a needed aeronautical instrument. At stake was an important order from a large airplane manufacturer, and it was important that his company not lose the order.
Dad wrote, "I went back to the office with no idea of how to work this thing out. But then I sat there at my desk with a clean sheet of paper in front of me, and expectantly I turned to God in prayer." He had learned from his study of Christian Science that there is only one Mind, God. He knew that the primal quality of this Mind is intelligence, which each of us, as God's spiritual image, reflects. He wrote, "I prayerfully reached out to know that divine intelligence is not limited in any way and that I reflected this all-knowing intelligence." An idea came to him almost instantly, and then the whole design "just unfolded" in his thought. The entire pattern was clearly laid out in a few minutes, and production proceeded as was necessary.
There were three children in our family, and we were well aware that our parents expected us to put God first in our lives. Whenever there were problems, we went to God for solutions. We were taught that God is All, and that knowing Him brings health, joy, and the evidence of good into our daily lives. Jesus Christ said, "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: for every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened" (Matthew 7:7, 8).
It isn't surprising that when I had a family of my own, I turned to God on an everyday basis. I remember once I had taken our young daughter to buy some badly needed clothing. It was too expensive for the money I had on hand. Standing there in the store, I had a flash of inspiration, which led me to return home and spend the afternoon in prayer. I just felt God's love embracing my community. That may seem like a funny thing to have done, but I was used to hearing God's direction and following it.
At that same time, some of our neighbors had been at odds with each other. It was good to feel the power of God, who is Love, just wiping out of my consciousness the bickering and misunderstanding I had witnessed. I knew that the love of God was unifying everyone in the neighborhood because He creates us as the expression of His love. Later in the day I was taken completely by surprise when one of the neighbors came to my door with big bags of clothing she wanted to share. It was high- quality clothing of just the right size and style for our daughter! I would never even have imagined she could have such a fine and complete wardrobe.
I hadn't turned to God to supply my daughter with clothes. I had prayed with an unselfish desire to bless our community. This was obviously just the right idea, and it touched this neighbor. And apparently it blessed everyone on the block as well; never again did I hear about dissent among our neighbors.
Turning to God with humility and with the earnest desire to learn more of your identity as His son or daughter, you will find your growing understanding of Him improving you and healing you, bringing just the right ideas you need for this day.
