Safety in your neighborhood
On a street post where we once lived was a sign that said CRIME WATCH. We didn’t live in a crime-filled neighborhood, but we’d been asked to be attentive and alert to anything out of the ordinary. So I included in my daily prayers the protection of our home and neighborhood, knowing that we were safe in God’s all-loving care. In prayer, I affirmed that protection is gained from the conviction that God is the only presence and power. God is the only lawmaker of all that really exists, and none of us as His creation can actually be a victim of circumstances or of the unexpected action or conduct of others.
Since I worked at home and most of my neighbors were away all day, I felt a little vulnerable. But I had to reject this uneasiness, knowing that God, divine Mind, is ever present, governing His sons and daughters.
I’ve found encouragement and assurance in the Bible and the writings of Mary Baker Eddy, who discovered and founded Christian Science. In “Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures,” she wrote, “[T]hose who discern Christian Science will hold crime in check. They will aid in the ejection of error. They will maintain law and order, and cheerfully await the certainty of ultimate perfection” (pp. 96-97). To me this means to stay alert to anything out of the ordinary and to daily pray for God’s law to be understood and obeyed. Doing this will replace discord with peace, and danger with safety.
I was able to prove God’s protecting and saving power one day when police surrounded our street and, using a loud speaker, told everyone to stay inside. They said a dangerous criminal was loose and hiding somewhere. I knew I was probably the only one at home on the whole block, and at first I was alarmed and frightened. But as my habit is, I turned to prayer. I mentally declared that I was safe in God’s keeping and that prayer would put me at ease and resolve this situation.
These words from the Bible kept coming to me: “There is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed.” It’s from the Gospel of Matthew and is part of the account of Jesus talking with his disciples, telling them to go out and heal the sick and sinning. He told them that they would encounter hatred and persecution. Referring to the persecutors, he said, “Fear them not therefore: for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known” (10:26). I kept thinking about this – that nothing can hide from the all-knowing, all-seeing divine Mind.
I also found comfort and reassurance in the 91st Psalm: “There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.” Thinking about this, I knew I was safe in God’s care. God knows all, sees all, is All. So how can there be anything else? God fills all space, so wherever we are or wherever anyone is hiding, God is there. The Truth is always present.
Within an hour, the all-clear signal came. The perpetrator had been hiding in a garage and was almost overlooked, except for a tiny crack in the door. I rejoiced when I heard this. It was an indication to me that nothing could hide from the truth.
The power of the divine Mind to heal is there for us in any situation. We can feel safe in our neighborhoods with the assurance that there is one Mind and that divine intelligence is All-in-all. Every action and activity of God’s creation is directed by Mind. This, understood, is our safety and protection.
