If ends don't meet

I was a fairly new mother with a little girl to support and care for. Although I was diligent about finding part-time work to provide for our little family, at one point I had only $20 in my bank account. Things looked dire as I considered how to pay the bills, which amounted to much more than I had on hand.

Though this experience occurred many years ago, I often think of it when reading about the varieties of lack reported in the news: not enough food, not enough rain, not enough resources. Yet my own small experience proved to me that there is an applicable principle of supply to call on for aid in times of need.

Mary Baker Eddy, who founded this newspaper and discovered Christian Science, wrote that God always cares for His children. She said, "The divine Mind that made man maintains His own image and likeness" ("Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," p. 151).

This assurance carries with it the idea that, all those years ago, helped me counter the appearance of "not enough."

As I sat in my small apartment with the daughter I loved so much, I thought about this promise. I thought about how much I loved my child, and knew that God, who is infinite Love, must love His creation with a capacity that far exceeds my own. So, didn't it stand to reason that God, who is all-powerful, had the capacity to care for His children with benefits that far surpassed my own?

During the time I so needed His help, I realized that He was aware of me and of what I required. I recall thinking that because God made, loved, and cared for me and my daughter, He would supply the money we needed - somehow - when we needed it.

I let go of the worry that had so plagued me, and allowed myself to rest in God's ever-present care for us, even if I couldn't perceive its tangible effect at the moment.

That afternoon I received a check in the mail. It was the settlement from my grandfather's estate, and the amount far exceeded the bills I had on hand.

I was very grateful, but in the years since this occurred, what stands out is the larger lesson. From God's perspective, there had never been a moment when my needs were not known or supplied. My grandfather's estate was being settled all during the time it seemed to me that I lacked what I needed.

Of course, the needs of those in situations of famine, drought, or the aftereffects of earthquakes and floods far exceed those I experienced. But the underlying principle of supply remains constant, and I'm convinced it's one we can all rely on - whatever the need, in whatever part of the world. The supply of God's infinite love isn't limited, and it's always on hand.

Trust the Eternal when the shadows gather,
When joys of daylight seem so like a dream;
God the unchanging pities like a father;
Trust on and wait, the daystar yet shall gleam.
Trust the Eternal, for the clouds that vanish
No more can move the mountains from their base
Than sin's illusive wreaths of mist can banish
Light from His throne or loving from His face.
Trust the Eternal, and repent in meekness
Of that heart's pride which frowns and will not yield,
Then to thy child-heart shall come strength in weakness,
And thine immortal life shall be revealed.
William P. MacKenzie,
"Christian Science Hymnal," No. 359