Living Christian Science Today November 22, 2012

Harmony on the job

Marcellette Chapman

When I was in business as an interior designer, I was in contact with many individuals every day—contractors and vendors, installers and paperhangers, painters, and, of course, clients. I often found myself in situations where there were many different ideas about how to solve a particular problem—in other words, a lot of human minds, each with an opinion as to what should be done and how it was to be accomplished.

These times were when my understanding of God and my relationship to Him, as taught in Christian Science, came to my rescue. I would always begin by knowing that God was the only creator and that He created all in His image and likeness as explained in chapter one of Genesis. Well, that was a good start, but the thought that inevitably followed was what I felt was the answer to my prayers: that God is expressing Himself through all His Ideas, His children. That included everyone with whom I had contact, so I could recognize that there is no conflict in the way God expresses Himself through His ideas. And since I was knowing that God is expressing Himself through all His ideas, including me, I would be led to approach each project or job as God directed. Believe me, this prayerful approach worked.

Here’s an example. As a result of my prayers, I was led to remind each contractor, before I hired him or her, that he or she must complete the job to the client’s satisfaction. I told contractors that if they wished to accept the job on that basis, that was fine, but if not, I would find someone else. In retrospect, that thought protected everyone concerned, including the client, the contractor, and me. 

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