American business and industry estimate that millions of dollars air lost each workday through employee absenteeism. Personnel and industrial relations directors and found that many cases of absenteeism aren't what they appear to be. Frequently they find that the underlying cause of a headache, an upset stomach, or a cold is worry, fear, or a dislike of a supervisor or a fellow employee.

In Christian Science the remedy for this loss of work would be the employee's establishment of a spiritual understanding of God as Love and of man's relation to Him.

To a young man starting out in business it may be difficult to see what bearing spiritual understanding can have on the wrong placement of his talents in a job or the unfair treatment he is receiving from a boss. Yet the fact is that a spiritual knowledge of man as the image and likeness of God will help clarify the purpose of his work and give him greater satisfaction and confidence in his job and its function.

How many young employees, or, for that matter, older ones, are expressing integrity in regard to their work when they stay at home in order to take it easy? While there are many times when the wise decision is to absent oneself from one's place of business, there are other occasions when one can ask oneself, "Won't I be taking a more selfless, honest stand if I make an effort to go to work?"

Several times the writer has broken the mesmeric belief of illness by realizing the truth of this statement by Mary Baker Eddy, the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, in "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" (p. 199): "The devotion of thought to an honest achievement makes the achievement possible."

How many employees are devoting themselves "to an honest achievement" in each day's work? Jesus said, "The labourer is worthy of his hire" (Luke 10:7). How many of us are worthy of our hire when a slight belief of illness tempts us to stay at home?

God's power isn't just a one-way operation. He must be expressed. Christ Jesus' understanding that God is never absent and that man is His expression enabled him to heal the centurion's servant, restore Lazarus to his sisters, return her son to the widow woman. Mrs. Eddy realized that man can never be separated from his Father-Mother God. She says on page 306 of Science and Health, "If God, who is Life, were parted for a moment from His reflection, man, during that moment there would be no divinity reflected."

Those who are called upon to fill a job can know that true selfhood is expressed in Godlike qualities. Every right idea is forever present in Mind, and we can prove that Principle is expressing itself to man. A feeling of incompetence, impatience, sensitiveness, or an I'm-not-well suggestion can be dismissed as no part of man's natural self. This truth can be applied by anyone, if he is fully prepared to establish a clear relationship with his fellowmen as God's idea.

When a proper balance between employer and employee is established, one's presence at work will be the expression of one's appreciation and understanding. Progress and inspiration come through rapport between employer and employee, and the Golden Rule, "All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them" (Matt. 7:12), is the soundest basis upon which to establish employer-employee relations

On page 385 of the Christian Science textbook, Science and Health, Mrs. Eddy says, "Whatever it is your duty to do, you can do without harm to yourself." The life of Mrs. Eddy was more than a duty to mankind. It was a joyous expression of greatness in both business and professional activities through the facility and felicity of expressing Mind, God. Her followers know that gloom and self-centeredness are becoming to no one. People can make a great contribution to business and industry through their understanding of the ever-presence of God, good, and their expression of God-given vigor, freshness, and joy.