Many of us, at one time or another, have watched a pinball machine—the metal balls shooting into a system of barriers, then rebounding hit or miss as the points ring up. Recently I felt like a pinball bouncing off barriers and pillars; but I was not scoring points!
I had just returned from being on the steering committee of the Christian Science Regional College Organization Meeting in Seattle, Washington. Throughout the planning, and especially during the actual meeting, I had been conscious of the support received from all concerned in this God-directed event. The prayerful work and sure guidance of the Youth Activities Section of the Department of Branches and Practitioners at The Mother Church, the tireless efforts of committee members, speakers, and helpers (students, local branch church members, the host school, and others were real evidences of Church in action).
"What Is Your Centre?" was the title of the meeting. That God, Love, was the focus of planning was clearly evident as we watched and worked toward the event. It reminded us of Mrs. Eddy's statement in Science and Health: "God is at once the centre and circumference of being." Science and Health, pp. 203-204; And it called to mind the words of Christ Jesus, "My Father worketh hitherto, and I work."John 5:17;
As the meeting approached, our steering committee became increasingly aware of God's guidance. All barriers to the successful presentation of the program were quickly and easily overcome as we turned to God for right direction. Daily, hourly, minute by minute, our human knowledge, personal abilities, talents, and self-importance had to be replaced by striving to prove our at-one-ness with God, divine Mind, the source of all ideas, intelligence, and ability.
Our steering committee chairman would wisely turn to the Bible and to the writings of Mrs. Eddy, particularly Science and Health, for inspiration. One of the passages most often referred to was her definition of "Mind." It reads: "The only I, or Us; the only Spirit, Soul, divine Principle, substance, Life, Truth, Love; the one God; not that which is in man, but the divine Principle, or God, of whom man is the full and perfect expression; Deity, which outlines but is not outlined." Science and Health, p. 591.
With this in thought, we could go about our different duties confidently. What was paramount? Not confidence in personal abilities, but confidence in Mind's "full and perfect expression" not only in one or some of us, but in everyone with whom we came in contact.
We were confident we could not run into barriers because, supposedly, someone was not expressing Mind. We saw such a barrier was an impossibility because the one Mind governs all. We maintained that divine Principle guides and governs all right activity and we could not outline or impose our own wills upon Mind.
The result of this dependence on God, and therefore our expectancy and acceptance of good, answered for us the question, "What is your centre?"
Now, back to the pinball machine. The first day after the meeting's close was the start of classes. That morning I began hitting barriers. I was dissatisfied with my living arrangements in residence. Two of my courses were withdrawn because of an insufficient number of students. And I found I was registered in a wrong course and would have to try to change it.
I set about correcting these situations without acknowledging my "centre," without realizing that the same Mind that guided the progress of the regional meeting was present to guide my daily progress.
By midday the school situation was unchanged. I was running here and there, back and forth between professors, trying to get some order into my life. At this time I was supposed to go to the executive meeting of our Christian Science college organization. I did not go, however, as I felt I should get my courses straightened out first. Not a very good example: the treasurer missing the first executive meeting of his own organization after returning from a regional meeting to assist college organizations and their members—a meeting that clearly showed the importance of our support of these organizations because of their importance on campus!
By midafternoon I had succeeded in wearing myself out physically and mentally. I had crisscrossed the campus so often, hit so many barriers, that I was exhausted. Then the thought came, "Go back to your room, get out those lesson books, the Bible and Science and Health, you were too busy to read this morning, and get busy on the Lesson-Sermon in the Christian Science Quarterly. You are certainly not making any progress on your own. Maybe it is time to try a better course." I listened.
Halfway through my study of the Lesson-Sermon a friend came to my door. Within five minutes a room change was arranged so that I and a person I did not even know would trade rooms. The move fitted both our needs.
The next day I was able to enroll in a course I hadn't even heard of when I'd originally made my course plan. I was also able to change my mistaken enrollment in the wrong course to enrollment in the proper one, even though the class was officially full.
I had learned a lesson. The ideas expressed while assisting with the regional meeting hadn't ended with its close. The letting go of self and watching and praying for the way to unfold, which made our work for that meeting a success, was the exact method needed in my daily experience. Mind's direction and divine guidance were not limited to one weekend. They were present to be experienced wherever and whenever we were receptive to them.
Whenever we look away from material circumstances to the Principle of existence —"Deity, which outlines but is not outlined"—we are able to rely on that one Mind. Instead of taking things into our own hands, trying to outline for Deity what we want, we can prayerfully prepare our thought for whatever course of action Deity outlines. It will be the right course for us. We can get out of the pinball machine of mortal maneuvering and see the barriers dissolve as we gratefully turn to and acknowledge what our "centre" is—God.
Thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying,
This is the way, walk ye in it,
when ye turn to the right hand,
and when ye turn to the left.
Isaiah 30:21
