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No deadline for God's supply
During my last year in college I was unable to get a student job while I lived on campus during winter break. Because of this, I fell short of raising my school fees the following semester, and the situation ended up being so bad that I was put on the list of students for financial suspension. I had nowhere to raise the funds. Most of my friends were students and were incapable of helping me, and because I was an international student, my visa did not allow me to work anywhere off campus.
To make matters worse, the billing office was not willing to delay my payments anymore. I was very grateful to have them waive $500 of my fees, but my deadline to pay the rest was coming up soon. They inquired how I had spent my money the previous summer, and I told them that, although I had worked full time those months, I had had to use a large portion of my earnings to handle some serious family issues. My sister had been hospitalized in Kenya, and in my family we have a code of conduct that places the family’s interest over those of individuals. To me this was a cultural difference misunderstood by my school, but still the days were running out and I was not getting any closer to a solution. I was frustrated, and I questioned why this was happening to me. Ultimately I blamed myself.
I decided to look to prayer to find the right direction to take. As a Christian Scientist, I knew that correcting this thought of having limited resources was important, but at that time it was easier to make that statement than to really feel its truth. The thought of lack or of the lack of a solution was a distraction to me, especially when there seemed to be a due date. But I knew that my identity was spiritual and complete—a reflection of God. In Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy writes, “Divine Love always has met and always will meet every human need” (p. 494). What I thought I needed to see was an immediate solution, but I soon realized that what I really needed was to be calm, and listen for the next right idea.
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