In the spring of 2000, my husband and I had moved from the West Coast of the US to a big city on the East Coast because of a job I had accepted. Neither of us had lived in a climate with snow for many years. One thing I had promised myself was that I would not try to compare one coast to the other. I knew that God, good, was everywhere, and if I tried to compare, I would miss the beauty and goodness in this new adventure.

As the autumn came, I was in awe. The colors of the trees were so varied and magnificent—not one tree the same as another. I was so grateful to be experiencing the beauty all around us.

Then, as winter approached, I faced many fears. We walked to work, and I wondered if I would be able to stand the high, freezing winds as I walked. What if I slipped on the icy sidewalk and fell? And would our car be snowed in if we needed to drive to work? I looked to God for freedom from these fears, and each time I prayed, a wonderful sense of peace came over me, so I could again see and enjoy the beauty and goodness right where I was. Looking back later, I realized that God, who is infinite, doesn’t know fear. He was showing me that His love and care fill all space, so there is no place where fear could be. I was safe in divine Love.

During that first winter, my husband and I had planned a trip to Florida to see our grandson, who attended college there. Shortly after we had purchased our plane tickets and made hotel reservations, the weather bureau began predicting that the worst storm of the season was expected over the weekend. We wondered what we should do. Flying out was not a problem, but getting home might be. Since we had already lined up a friend to look after our cat and home, we decided to go. This was on a Thursday, and we were going to return Sunday.

On Friday night in Florida, watching the news, we learned that our northern city was under a storm watch. Schools and businesses had been closed. Precautions were being taken to keep everyone safe. It was predicted that many inches of snow would be falling on our city and the outlying areas. We called the airport immediately to see if we could get an earlier flight home, but all flights had been cancelled. Our town, including the airport, had been shut down.

As I began to pray, my first concern was about our personal situation. I wondered whether we should contact our house-sitter and our employers to say we didn’t know when we would be back.

We checked with the airlines again on Saturday night, and they said we should go to the airport in the morning, though they did not know if any flights would be leaving. So on Sunday morning we checked out of our hotel, drove to the airport, and turned in our rental car. 

When we arrived, we found that all flights to our city were still cancelled. During the many hours of waiting, checking the departures, and watching the news channel, I realized that this wasn’t about us getting home anymore. This was an opportunity to face down the fear that another power besides God was in control. I knew that God was not causing a destructive force opposite to Himself, so the weather prediction had to be a lie about His spiritual universe—a lie that was saying something evil could threaten man’s well-being and replace the law of God, good. So now my prayer was God-centered instead of self-centered, and included all mankind.

I remembered reading that Mary Baker Eddy prayed as she watched a gathering storm, and the clouds broke up and dissolved within minutes. She later told a household worker, “It (meaning the cloud) never was; God’s face was never clouded.” Another student recorded that Mrs. Eddy said, “When I wanted to dispel a storm, I did not say, ‘There is no thunder, and no lightning,’ but I said, ‘God’s face is there, and I do see it’ ” (Mary Baker Eddy: Christian Healer, Amplified Edition, pp. 384–385).

During this time we were in a line, working our way up to the check-in counter. When it was our turn, we explained our situation to the ticket agent and asked how we might go about finding a hotel in the area. The agents had already told all the passengers that under these circumstances the airlines do not put travelers up for the night or provide meals, but to our surprise, our ticket agent gave us a voucher for a nearby hotel, which provided shuttle service to the airport. He also gave us a meal voucher. Then the agent booked us on two different flights for the next day, leaving within a half hour of each other, in hopes that if one did not go, the other might. We were amazed, because we had not asked for anything for ourselves after I had begun to pray more selflessly. Yet all our needs were being met. God’s love, beauty, and care continued to be present.

My prayer before retiring that night was knowing that God was the only Mind, power, and presence—and Mind’s laws were the only laws governing the universe, including man, in perfect harmony.

Next morning, Monday, we arrived at the airport early to find all flights still cancelled. “It doesn’t matter,” I thought. “God is taking care of every little detail of our experience, just as He did yesterday.” Soon it was announced that one flight was departing. It was one of ours. At first I was afraid, wondering who made this decision and whether it was safe, but right behind that came the thought that God was in control and would never put us in a dangerous situation. All fear left me as we boarded the plane. 

We took off and soon were in the clouds, while I reaffirmed that there is only one Mind and everything in God’s creation is in its right place, expressing the intelligence of Mind. In Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy writes, “Be firm in your understanding that the divine Mind governs, and that in Science man reflects God’s government” (p. 393). I knew that the pilots and all connected with this flight were reflecting the divine Mind. 

Soon into the flight, the captain announced that there would be turbulence. In my early study of Christian Science, I had been healed of the fear of flying and had seen proof of God’s government and harmonious control on several flights where we were beginning to experience turbulence. So it was natural for me to begin declaring the allness of God’s power and the nothingness of the prediction of discord. I knew that Love and Spirit are the only real forces, and they work together for good.

Words from a favorite hymn came to me: “Everlasting arms of Love / Are beneath, around, above; .… From earth’s fears and vain alarms / Safe in His encircling arms, / He will keep us all the way, / God, our refuge, strength and stay” (based on a hymn by J. R. Macduff, Christian Science Hymnal, No. 53, © CSBD). We did not experience turbulence, and we were in the clouds the whole flight.

Soon the captain came on the speaker again and said, “We are the only plane in the sky.” Again fear crept in. Was it a wise decision for our plane to take off? Why would we be the only plane going if it were safe? Again I affirmed that if it wasn’t safe, we wouldn’t be there. Love was directing all of its ideas harmoniously. God, Love, fills all space.

When we landed at the airport in our city, there wasn’t one other plane on the tarmac. There were only a few workers in the terminal and no travelers, because no other flights were going or coming.

My office had been closed on Monday and Tuesday, so I returned to work along with everyone else. The storm turned out to be much smaller than expected, and the extreme weather that had been predicted never came to pass.

Science and Health says, “Christian Science brings to light Truth and its supremacy, universal harmony, the entireness of God, good, and the nothingness of evil” (p. 293). I am so grateful to be witnessing to these eternal laws of God, good, right here and now.

Pam Waller
Laguna Hills, California, US