Dilemma? Take it right to God!

Rebecca MacKenzie Odegaard

A friend of mine was on the middle school soccer team. One weekend the team traveled to an "away" tournament. The tournament was held in a large sports center. Between matches, he and another player went into the pro shop to have a look around. After they left, the other player lifted up his shirt to show my friend a pair of goalie gloves that he had taken from the shop. On the bus trip home, the teammate proudly showed them to others as well.

My friend goes to a Christian Science Sunday School. There, he had learned the Ten Commandments; and he knew well that taking something without paying for it breaks the commandment "Thou shalt not steal" (Ex. 20:15). He felt he knew what this meant as far as his own behavior went, but he wasn't sure what he should do in this situation. This person was the best player on the team, and my friend didn't want to ruin the whole team's record by getting this player into trouble, nor did he want to be considered by his teammates or the coaches as someone who tells on others. No matter how he looked at it, this seemed like a huge dilemma without a clear answer.

When he got home from the tournament, he talked with his mother and asked her what she thought he should do. His mother told him that whenever a person feels unhappy or uncomfortable about anything, he should pray. Prayer that helps us to see more clearly what is true and to act in a way that upholds the Godlike nature of each of us destroys confusion and brings genuine peace and joy. It assures us that God is always present, always giving comfort and every needful thing to His children. His standard, being Love and Truth, is a dependable guide and a source of practical solutions to whatever challenge we are facing.

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