No need to gamble–You have it all!
The excitement fizzled out for me immediately. As someone who had never been game for gaming, I had no interest in going to Vegas. In fact, I dreaded it. Though I’d never been in a casino before, I felt that I might be deeply saddened by what I saw as the artificial allurements of gambling: greed, ostentatious materialism, deception, and the hypnotic atmosphere of a false sense of happiness.
On the other hand, as a Christian Scientist, I knew I should not fall into thinking this way. I became determined to turn this trip into an opportunity to counter the temptations of gambling with prayer, to continually listen for God’s direction, and to expect tangible good to come of it.
After checking into the hotel that weekend, I had the afternoon free. So I took a long walk outside—mostly to avoid the casinos. I soon discovered that to leave the hotel, I had to go right through the casino. Before I knew it, I was in a massive, dark room surrounded by hundreds of luridly flashing slot machines, each with its own patron transfixed by the “one-armed bandit.”
What a waste, I thought. What were they hoping to gain, really? Even if they hit the jackpot, they wouldn’t win what they truly need: security, contentment, happiness. Then I realized I was being pulled into the malaise of pitiful sadness that I had feared. I needed to prayerfully correct this mode of thinking.
Then an inspired thought woke me: “They have already won it all!” This spiritually based concept helped me begin to see things from a spiritual standpoint—that each of us is already rich beyond our dreams. Since each of us is the beloved child of God, we already have all we could ever need or desire.
Far beyond the hollow hopes of financial wealth, the richness of divine Love’s limitless provision not only supplies all our human needs, it also brings genuine happiness, deep contentment, and unwavering peace of mind. Through prayer that recognizes Love’s care, we gain the wisdom and ability to multiply that good for ourselves and others. This is true wealth that can only increase as our trust in God grows. No need to gamble for it. We can claim it right now!
So, throughout my stay in Las Vegas, I claimed God’s abundance for each and every one there. This resulted in some wonderful conversations with colleagues from our training sessions. For example, one fellow suggested we’d all be happier giving money away than gambling it away. Another conversation concluded that the best way to avoid the addictive tendencies of gambling is not even to do it a little, and yet another interesting discussion was on the true meaning of happiness and how to find it. Several of us found some fun, wholesome activities outside the Vegas casinos.
Of course I realized then—and see it even more clearly now—that the temptations of gambling aren’t confined to Las Vegas. We’re increasingly confronted
with opportunities to gamble right where we live, whether it’s state-run lotteries, the proliferation of casinos into local cities and towns, the increase of online gambling, raffles at school events, betting pools at work, or simple games of chance at the supermarket.
Games of chance will have no pull on us when we discover the real satisfaction of setting our affections on Spirit.
We may even be encouraged to gamble for good causes, such as public education, government budgets, or to create new jobs. But these are false supports from which no real good can come, because what truly supports our progress and sustains our quality of life is the genuine substance of Spirit, God. And as we focus our activities on recognizing and cultivating this spiritual substance, we find it is the limitless source of all that is truly valuable, productive, and constructive.
While I was in Las Vegas, I turned to the Bible in my hotel room and found many helpful ideas that support this more spiritual view of where good comes from. In his letter to the Philippians, Paul states: “My God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (4:19).
Another letter contrasts the spiritual view of life with the material: “Godliness with contentment is great gain. … But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare … . For the love of money is the root of all evil.” The letter advises, “But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness” (I Timothy 6:6, 9–11).
I also got new inspiration from Jesus’ parable of the prodigal son, which brings out God’s unconditional beneficence (see Luke 15:11–32). The young man’s father lovingly welcomes him back after he wastes his inheritance. At the same time, he reassures his other son, who faithfully stayed by him, with these words, which echo the truth about all of us: “Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine.”
From this reading, it became even clearer to me that a life focused on material gain—especially if it rests on games of chance—leads to loss, emptiness, and poverty. Claiming our abundant spiritual substance even a little enables us to walk away from these misplaced hopes. We learn to recognize, trust in, and acquiesce to, God’s complete care for our every need.
In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus famously showed how to claim this spiritual inheritance. He said, “Take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? … for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matthew 6:31–33).
Gambling, lotteries, or other games of chance will have no pull on us when we discover the real satisfaction of setting our affections on the abundant riches of Spirit. To do this Mary Baker Eddy states: “Set your affections on things above; love one another; commune at the table of our Lord in one spirit; worship in spirit and in truth; and if daily adoring, imploring, and living the divine Life, Truth, Love, thou shalt partake of the bread that cometh down from heaven, drink of the cup of salvation, and be baptized in Spirit” (Christian Science versus Pantheism, p. 14).
Sometimes I think back on the lessons I learned during that training trip to Vegas when I’m reading the “Daily Prayer” by Mrs. Eddy in the Church Manual. It concludes: “… and may Thy Word enrich the affections of all mankind, and govern them!” (p. 41).
Enriching our Godly affections truly enriches our lives in every possible way.
