Had I read it wrong, or had she made a mistake? No. When I reread the letter I knew that my friend meant exactly what she said, and it gave me a lot to think about.
Board elections were to be held in her branch church and she'd resisted the idea of serving. "You see, I had this obedience problem," she wrote. "But since I am a serious student of Christian Science and pray daily for the Father to use me as a manifestation of His plan, I realize that must include obedience to it, however it may unfold." As it turned out, she was the first one elected, and it was a happy experience. But the victory went far beyond her just being willing to serve as a board member. The true victory was over the resistance to serving, the resistance to spiritual growth, which she had called an "obedience problem."
Everyone knows the importance of obedience to rules necessary to be successful in the practice of any science. Christian Science differs in no way from mathematics, chemistry, or physics in this regard. In fact, as a student of Christian Science advances in his or her understanding and practice of healing, it becomes more and more obvious that the crucial factor is listening for divine direction and being obedient to the intuitions and ideas that follow. There are times when we may have to struggle with that resistance to progress, and face what my friend called an "obedience problem."
