"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
I was delighted to be successful in a job application just before Christmas, after a rather long and difficult job search. It seemed perfect; the motto of the new school where I am working is, “We aim for higher things” and above my classroom door there is a sign with a quote from the Bible, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God.” (Matthew 5:9). Yet I still doubted this would be the right place for me.
One of the biggest challenges with this new job has been the commute to work which is much longer than I am used to and can be very unpredictable. However, I have found that these sometimes-extended commutes to and from work are an ideal time for me to listen to the audio editions of the Christian Science Bible Lessons and the Anthology of Classic Articles. Although I cannot give these recordings my full attention whilst driving, I find I can pick up nuggets of Truth which help sustain me on my journey. For example on one occasion I listened to the article, “All the Way” by Milton Simon. I was struck by the ideas that Love cannot present a challenge, without providing the tools to overcome it, and if something is begun through a reliance on Principle, then it will be seen through to the end through a reliance on Principle. I reminded myself that my search for this job had been founded in my Love for God and His children, as well as an understanding that God’s Principle of supply always meets a genuine desire. I had prayed that I could find a way to express my God-given talents by blessing my pupils and my work colleagues. This need has been met and I know that this fulfillment is my God-given right and can never be taken away.
Late one evening I was driving home in the dark from work. As I accelerated up the slip road on to the motorway, I failed to notice in time that the cars in front of me were stationary. I swerved to avoid hitting the car in front. This caused me to lose control of my car and I ended up bumping along the grass verge for a few moments. I knew I could get back on to the road unharmed and an internal voice told me very firmly to do so! It seemed miraculous that despite the very heavy traffic I was able to return to the road safely and continue to join the motorway without hitting any other car. I did not need to stop, and I continued my journey calmly. When I arrived home and inspected my car there was not a scratch on it, just some vegetation sticking out of the grill at the front. When I took my car to the garage, I was informed that the tracking was out, and this was fixed quickly at very little cost. I thanked God!
In thinking of this evidence of God’s protection I am reminded of Hymn 245 from the Christian Science hymnal. The first verse reads, “O tender, loving Shepherd, We long to follow thee, To follow where thou leadest, Though rough the path may be; Though dark and heavy shadows, Enshroud the way with gloom, We know that Love will guide us, And safely lead us home.” Sometimes it seems like challenges in our life are like rather tedious or even dangerous journeys. I am grateful for this experience which has taught me that God always equips us with the tools to overcome the challenges along the way. With every challenge we can prove that, “Love inspires, illumines, designates, and leads the way.” (SH 454:18–19).