"Precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little and there a little." Isaiah 28:10
"Precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little and there a little." Isaiah 28:10
The institution I work for has just been through some very trying times. For several years there have been extra pressures and constraints, and a lot of unhappy employees.
Last year a real crisis developed and from trying times we went to turbulent times, full of fear, anger, and doubts. When the crisis erupted in our lives, I immediately thought of the eruption of the Red Dragon in the world as Mrs. Eddy presents him in her chapter on the Apocalypse, “ripe for destruction”. I clung to that image through the months that followed, knowing and trusting that what we were experiencing meant the destruction of error in our workplace, at least of the error that had thrust its head out for all to see.
It was sometimes difficult to trust this because many unpleasant and frightening things were taking place, but I kept coming back to that image and it supported me through the difficult times. I did not give in to fear but felt assured that all would be well. I even grew in confidence to voice my thoughts about different situations as we lived through them.
As the months went by a second image came to me: that of Hamon hanging himself in the story of Esther, typifying error’s self-destruction. This buoyed my spirits for I felt the situation would soon be over - at least the worst of it. And so it was that a few weeks later a step was taken which meant the possibility of a turn around in my institution, a break-though towards right action and right thinking. It had taken just 9 months from the eruption of the crisis and this first big step towards its resolution.
My first thought was that this was a new birth, wrap it in swaddling clothes and lay it in a manger, - that is take care to protect it and care for it as the new birth leads to growth. And that is exactly what seems to be going on. In the weeks since, there has been a lot of quiet work going on towards needed changes, a rethinking of direction, a clearing out of the false, the erring.
For example, my department had been targeted for down-sizing because of misperceptions about how we worked and what objectives were really important. Recognition of the error of those misperceptions has led to important changes in the set-up of the cutting-edge technology we use (making it usable) and the recognition of our objectives as valid. This will allow us to move forward and to work more positively for the good of the institution.
I can’t imagine living through such a trying time without the support of divine Science. I am so grateful for the truths that kept coming to me, those angel messages of comfort supporting me. The world around me seemed so full of turbulence, harm and hurt, real danger; and I was sometimes caught up in it, but I felt safe and certain that all would be well thanks to my understanding of the truth according to Science.
And so it is, even though some of the people I most respected and loved have left to go on to other jobs where they are growing. It wasn’t easy for me to see them go -- I felt it as a loss; but in each case it has led to blessing both them and me. And I have grown as I learned even more to trust the ever present unfoldment of good.