"The day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision" (Joel 3:14). What a comfort it is when we are toiling in this valley to remember that the day of the Lord is always near.
I was many miles from home one dreary spring afternoon, struggling with a depressed state of indecision. There were two contracts lying before me, one of which had to be signed before the week was up. Each day that week I had walked down to the sand dunes, taking with me my Christian Science textbooks, the Bible and Science and Health by Mrs. Eddy, and listened for the still small voice of Truth. One of the contracts was for a position which offered prominence and prestige, and I was greatly tempted to accept it. I had been asked, however, not to mention when signing the contract that I was a Christian Scientist. The other was a contract of renewal for the position I was already holding. It was a position of more humble service, but one in which I was accepted and respected as a Christian Scientist.
The next morning when I was about to start on my daily round of duties, I found that I could not rise from my bed because my limbs had swollen to twice their normal size. Those in authority at the school where I was employed insisted on calling in a physician, who pronounced the case inflammatory rheumatism and sentenced me to spend six weeks in the school's hospital ward. When he departed I managed to crawl to a telephone to telegraph a Christian Science practitioner for help.
