It was 10:20 one Sunday morning when I arrived at church. The organ prelude had just begun. I slipped in and sat next to a friend, who greeted me with a big smile. Then I silently began to pray, pondering the definition of Church in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy, in preparation for the service. But one woman was chatting loudly in a stage whisper. Another was slowly unwrapping a piece of hard candy from a sticky, noisy cellophane wrapper. Someone else was rattling her keys. And a group of people were talking in the foyer. Why did they have to talk so loudly? I couldn’t concentrate on my prayers for the service because of all the noise. I didn’t want to be judgmental, but … and on and on my thoughts raced. Finally, I said, “OK, Father, You tell me what to know.” In seconds the message came to me saying, “This is between you and God. What other people are doing does not concern you.”
That was the healing thought I needed. I saw clearly that my relationship to God was all that needed to concern me. The erroneous belief that what someone else was doing could upset my spiritual equilibrium was exposed. That old trickster had been masquerading in too many masks for too many before-the-service quiet moments.
All of my irritation dissolved. Before I knew it we were singing the first hymn, which began: “Make channels for the streams of Love” (Richard C. Trench, Christian Science Hymnal, No. 182), and I saw how this applied to my loving every member of the congregation without criticism. The hymn goes on to say that if we don’t provide channels for these overflowing streams of divine Love, the spring will seem dried up. In other words, we have to take the opportunities we have to express Love if we want to feel Love’s presence and keep the channels open for more of God’s abundant goodness.
