Article September 20, 1924 Issue

Guidance

F. HAROLD RICHARDS

Every sincere follower of Truth is daily looking for guidance. Often we are at the crossroads, and have to decide which way we shall go. When our perception is clear enough to choose the right path, we make progress along the road from sense to Soul, from discord to harmony. But if we make a wrong choice, impelled by self-will or ignorance, we find ourselves in a blind alley, and sooner or later we have to retrace our steps with a feeling of wasted effort.

It is in consciousness that the choice of the road has to be made. In our mental journey the roughness of the path is due to the acceptance of mortal thought as real, from which every mortal suffers. The lanes leading from the narrow track, those lanes which appear so beautiful and enticing to material sense, are the suggestions which human belief is constantly pushing before us. Jesus said, "Strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life." Mrs. Eddy says in "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" (p. 326), "If we wish to follow Christ, Truth, it must be in the way of God's appointing." Guidance is obtained by following the motives given us by Truth. As we let ourselves be led by these motives, God is revealing the way to us. We have to look for "the way of God's appointing;" and this we cannot do if we are allowing our vision to be clouded with our own plans for the future.

The writer had an illuminating experience during the war, when he was serving on a battleship. One day he took an article from his cabin and left it in another part of the ship. On searching for it later, he could not find it. Knowing that it was not of much value, he dismissed the incident from his thought. Later on the thought came to him: The value is not the point at all; here is an opportunity of proving Principle. He sat down and tried to realize the truth. A thought that helped him was this: In Truth there is no disorder, no dishonesty, no theft; therefore, none of these things can have any power or any effect. All is in reality the infinite manifestation of divine Mind. Then he decided to take the obvious human step of going to look again in the place where he believed he had left the article. It was a long, roundabout way through the ship; and when about halfway there, he came up against a bolted hatchway. This he failed to move. For a few moments he felt depressed, until he suddenly remembered that there was another way, still more roundabout, but leading to the spot he wished to reach. He set off, and before he had taken many steps, he suddenly stumbled over the missing article. For a moment he was filled with amazement; then this gave place to gratitude for having been guided in the right direction.

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