'He said I was right!'

Two friends who dearly loved each other stood together at the door. The hostess was pleading with her friend not to leave so soon. The friend was adamant. She reached for the doorknob. That's when the hostess did what she probably thought was the only thing left to do. She bit her guest's hand - hard! Mother came running when she heard both little four-year-olds screaming. She was horrified. The girls had always played together so peaceably. Finally the little guest stopped crying and went home. The overzealous hostess was sent to her room to think over her misdeed. In a short while a sobbing and seemingly contrite voice called, ''Mommy, can I come out?'' ''How do you feel now about biting Dolly?'' her mother asked. ''Oh,'' the little one replied, ''I talked to God about it, and He said I was right!''

Not long after that incident the mother took up the study of Christian Science. A few years later her husband opened his own business and had to purchase some pieces of expensive equipment. It looked as if machines were needed to do two different jobs, but there was only enough money for one, and the choice was hard. The woman began to pray as she had been learning to do in Christian Science.

She realized and affirmed in prayer that God is the only genuine Mind of man, that in reality man is God's spiritual image, the very reflection of infinite intelligence. She acknowledged the spiritual truth that this Mind is the source of all right ideas, and prayed to accept no other Mind. As Mary Baker Eddy n1 writes, referring to Christian Science, ''Science reveals only one Mind, and this one shining by its own light and governing the universe, including man, in perfect harmony.'' n2

n1 Mrs. Eddy is the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science.

n2 Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, pp. 510-511.

She remembered that Christ Jesus had taught us to pray, ''Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.'' n3 She realized that if there is just one Mind, there can be but one will, and that this divine will governs man.

n3 Matthew 6:10

When a family council was held to discuss the problem, the woman felt she knew exactly which machine they should purchase. When no one agreed with her, she began to argue with them - to point out where they were wrong. When they refused to be convinced, she stopped trying to force her opinion and silently began to pray.

She began by arguing with God. ''But I did listen for Mind's direction, so I must be right.'' Suddenly there was a flashback of a familiar picture. She could hear her little daughter saying, ''I talked to God about it, and He said I was right!'' Instantly the woman stopped arguing - even mentally - and truly began to listen to God. She felt at peace. She was now trusting in the one Mind to reveal the answer - an answer untainted by mortal willfulness.

The next morning three business calls within a few minutes pointed to the answer. The need turned out to be for an entirely different machine, one that had not even been considered. In the thirty years since that time it hasn't been necessary to purchase either of the two machines originally under consideration.

The woman learned some unforgettable lessons that day. She learned the importance of yielding human will to the divine; of resisting the mesmeric thoughts of self-righteousness; of trusting the divine Mind to reveal to others, not what we think they should know, but what is right. She learned the importance of listening to God rather than talking to Him. However, she did ''talk'' to God again that morning. In humility and gratitude she said, ''Dear Father, thank you for being always right!'' DAILY BIBLE VERSE The Lord shall guide thee continually. Isaiah 58:11