HOW CHRISTIAN SCIENCE HEALS: RADIO PROGRAM No. 329 - Overcoming Barriers to Our Progress

[Following is substantially the text of the program of the above title released for broadcast the week end of January 1—3 in the radio series, "How Christian Science Heals," heard internationally over approximately 800 stations. This is one of the weekly programs produced by the Christian Science Committee on Publication, 107 Falmouth Street, Boston 15, Massachusetts.]

Speaker: How often it is that people feel that something is keep ing them from making the progress they desire. But the barriers melt away when one gives up misguided goals and gains a true motive and purpose in life. We are going to hear an interest ing experience of an engineering executive from the state of Wash ington. He faced a typical career problem and found his answer through the prayer of spiritual un derstanding. He is Brown W. Saveland, of Seattle, Washington. Mr. Saveland, I'm sure you feel prayer can bring the answer to any career problem.

Mr. Saveland: Yes. I certainly do. I've found that an understand ing of God gives you a whole new perspective on everything you do. It gives you more unselfish aims than just making money and causes you to placc greater value on spir itual things. In turn you find your experience is enriched proportion ately. I've had a number of proofs of this over the years.

Speaker: Could you give us an example?

Mr. Saveland: Yes, I'd be glad to. Some time ago I had an experience which showed how spiritual understanding can help a man if he feels that he's bogged down in his job and not making any progress. You see, I'm with a large engineering and construction firm. Shortly after I joined this firm, I spent some time in the research department. Later I had some good assignments in the design of important industrial facilities. I liked design much better, but at the end of one of these assignments, I was told I'd have to go back to research and accept a salary cut.

I became so discouraged and so disturbed about my transfer back to research that I decided to ask a Christian Science practitioner for help. When I did I was told to "search and research" the Scriptures and the writings of Mary Baker Eddy to get a clearer concept of man as God's spiritual likeness, carrying on his heavenly Father's work. I was also told that loving what you have to do opens the way for doing what you love to do.

I could see the importance of gaining a clearer understanding of man's real nature as the image and likeness of God, divine Spirit. I felt that this would give me the right approach to the problem, the right motives, and the right guidance on what to do.

Pretty soon a situation came up in which I needed guidance on what to do. I received a very attractive offer from another company. As I thought about it, I remembered a statement from Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures where Mrs. Eddy says (p. 454 ), "Right motives give pinions to thought, and strength and freedom to speech and action."

So I analyzed my motives. In which position could I serve best? Was I just after more money, or was I really interested in putting my experience and abilities to their best use? Did I really expect divine direction, and did I trust God enough to work out my problem, or was I looking for an easy way out?

I asked myself these questions and pondered a lot over the answers. Gradually I saw that for me the right step was to stay right where I was. And you know, in just a matter of months the company asked me to accept the largest assignment in design engineering I'd ever had. In turn this led to an executive position.

But this promotion was much more than just attaining a goal for me; it was learning that I could place my complete reliance on divine Mind instead of on human maneuvering; it was learning that when I relied on divine direction, I wasn't gambling on a result that might be good or bad, but was opening the way for a solution that would benefit everyone concerned and was in accord with God's good ness and love.

I'm certainly grateful to be gain ing a spiritual understanding of God and of man in His likeness.

Speaker: Well, Mr. Saveland, that was certainly a fine example of how to approach and solve a career problem from a spiritual viewpoint based on a clear understanding of God and of man's true relationship to Him. Thank you for telling us about it.

The development of a person's career may be likened to a foot path that is sometimes easy to walk along, sometimes hard, and sometimes filled with what seem to be insurmountable barriers, which would block progress. But our guest found there is a way to over come such barriers and to turn obstacles into steppingstones to progress. It is to approach the problem through the prayer of spiritual understanding. Such an approach corresponds with the advice from Proverbs: "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths."'

The temptation may be to look to human opinions or advice instead of listening for divine direction to keep us on the right path. We find this very useful statement by Mrs. Eddy in Miscellaneous Writings (p. 347 ): "Two individuals, with all the goodness of generous natures, advise me. One says, Go this way; the other says, Take the opposite direction! Between the two I stand still; or, accepting the premonition of one of them, I follow his counsel, take a few steps, then halt. A true sense not unfamiliar has been awakened. I see the way now. The guardians of His presence go before me. I enter the path. It may be smooth, or it may be rugged; but it is always straight and narrow; and if it be up-hill all the way, the ascent is easy and the summit can be gained."

And so, to remove barriers, we need to learn to listen to divine direction. Realigning our motives becomes easier as thought is lifted above confusion and fear to a spiritual view of God, divine Mind.

Christian Science explains that man is actually spiritual, not material. Man, made in God's likeness, is the expression of infinite Life, divine Mind, and exists for the purpose of glorifying God. Now this purpose should be the motive of each one of us. As we endeavor to reach this high goal, we give up selfish, vain motives and gain instead an unselfish desire to be of service to mankind. Likewise, our goals and aims will no longer be hampered by material daydreams, but will be founded on a realization of man's unlimited capacities as the reflection of God, Spirit.

Barriers to progress will fade away in the measure that our motives and aims are uplifted, in the measure that thought is purified and spiritualized. Then we shall most assuredly be walking uprightly along the pathway of progress. We shall be ready to avail ourselves of the promise Mrs. Eddy makes in Science and Health (p. 326 ), "Working and praying with true motives, your Father will open the way."

The musical selection on the program was Hymn No. 304 from the Christian Science Hymnal ("Shepherd , show me how to go"). The words of this hymn are from " 'Feed My Sheep' " by Mrs. Eddy (Poems, p. 14 ).