Article July 12, 1999 Issue

Nothing taken, nothing lost, in God's universe

Divine Love meets every need.

By John Quincy Adams III

Some years ago, while my family and I were traveling to Europe, a flight attendant announced that a young woman had inadvertently left her purse in the restroom. When she returned to retrieve it, her money was gone. The attendant pleaded for the return of the money, promising that no action would be taken. Of course, many of us were concerned, especially when we learned that the young woman was to meet a relative for the first time in an unfamiliar city, had no means to get there, and didn't speak the language.

Time passed with no results. As we neared our destination, it occurred to me that in the universe of God, divine Love, there are no victims, only God's loved and protected creation. An inspired verse from Scripture supports this idea: "I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it" (Eccl. 3:14).

Soon, we felt impelled to help this young traveler, a teenager. I appealed to the other passengers to make individual contributions, and they were delighted to help out. The figure collected exceeded the young woman's original amount by a few dollars. This was announced over the speaker system, which brought forth a great burst of shouts and applause. The young woman was deeply grateful.

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