A basis for financial security in uncertain times

Prior to the events of September 11, there was a lot of lively public conversation on how the new economy was affecting people's lives. In roundtable discussions on news programs, guests talked about our interconnected world and how it was dealing with unprecedented opportunities, expanded competition, and cheaper, faster, more powerful products.

Now, in the wake of tragedy, the conversation has taken a new turn. There is more uncertainty about the world economic horizon and how it will affect personal financial security.

Many of us have conversations within ourselves on this subject. We wonder about the financial stability of our future. We ask ourselves what will happen to our lives, our families, and our communities if the economy takes a major downturn.

Clearly, we need a better way of feeling sure-footed and making wise decisions about time and resources in this emerging economy. That's good reason for giving more attention to another kind of conversation - a private one. A conversation between ourselves and God.

Talking with God is an act of discovery. Ordinary men and women, as well as some of the world's greatest leaders, have discovered the knowledge, inspiration, strength, and assurance they've needed through conversations with God. In "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," Monitor founder Mary Baker Eddy noted: "The Soul-inspired patriarchs heard the voice of Truth, and talked with God as consciously as man talks with man" (pg. 308). And history has shown that the effect of this communion with God on human lives is profound.

Moses, for example, had lots of questions for the Most High. Some of them were economic. How should he manage the relocation of an entire nation? Where would basic commodities such as food and water come from? God was right there with answers, practical ideas that met Moses' needs and the day-to-day needs of the Israelites he was leading out of Egypt.

On a much smaller scale, I recall times in our own family when we didn't know how we would cover household expenses, be available for our daughter when she wasn't in school, and think of our lives as more than just a day-to-day struggle to get by. But God was always there, with ideas that guided the careers of my wife and me, supported our family, and enriched our lives.

Economy is not a subject that's foreign to God. There's no better expert on supply and demand, or on the right management of resources, than the creator and governor of the universe. God's universe is filled with spiritual ideas, including each of us, and these ideas are subject to the divine Mind's infinitely wise and loving governance. The divine economy is in action.

Mind imparts its ideas to each of us, and these ideas help us wisely manage our lives. These ideas open up fresh opportunities for us to grow, and they bring security. Mind is here, with practical answers to even the toughest questions before we ask them.

Of course, public discourse is an important means for keeping up with the latest developments in the emerging economy. Still, to ensure that the choices we make as individuals are the right ones, it's important to have the best possible perspective. That comes from a higher source.

And thine ears shall

hear a word behind thee,

saying, This is the way,

walk ye in it, when ye

turn to the right hand,

and when ye turn

to the left.

Isaiah 30:21