The Bible tells us in Psalms 118:24, “This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.” But there were times when I didn’t feel like rejoicing. At the end of the day, I would add to the next day’s list what I was unable to complete. This became a source of stress, and I often complained to those around me about this situation. I wasn’t making the best use of my day in completing projects and meeting responsibilities and commitments. I realized that the sentiment, “Have a good day,” which we often say to each other, seemed to amount to just hoping for the best.
But from my study of Christian Science I knew that I could do more than just wish for things to go well. I could turn to God and listen for practical, spiritual guidance. While I was giving my situation some prayerful thought, one of the things I found helpful was Hymn 519, which a friend had recently shared with me from the Christian Science Hymnal: 430–603.
The hymn starts, “Lean on the sustaining infinite / And blessings will be yours. / Lean not on person, place, or thing.” Instead of trying to manipulate circumstances humanly, which was very frustrating, I found the spiritual confidence to rely on God, the sustaining infinite, for the right answers. The hymn continues, “This is the balanced Way. / It’s free from self-will, pressure, stress; / It welcomes in God’s day” (Jill Gooding, © CSBD). These words lifted my thought spiritually and gave me the blueprint to go forward.
