Article October 1, 2007 Issue

Our livelihood—entrusted to God

BY JOAN MIKKELSEN

I'VE ALWAYS LOVED the idea that it is never foolish to hope, especially when this hope is based on a solid conviction that God's law of compassion and goodness carries us through tough times. One experience in particular helped me deepen my trust in God and gain freedom from financial debt and business-related turmoil.

In April 2003, my husband came home one day terribly worried about the steel manufacturing business we'd owned for ten years. Not only had it begun to falter in the past 18 months, but our accountant was suggesting that we might have to file for bankruptcy. A number of disrupting factors had merged all at once—a generally sluggish US economy, a severe downturn in our company's niche industry, and increased pressure from our bank to repay large loans. While I'd known that things were not going well, it was distressing to learn that our business was now on the verge of collapse.

Weeks before, I remembered pausing during my morning prayer to think deeply about the following passage from Science and Health: "When the real is attained, which is announced by Science, joy is no longer a trembler, nor is hope a cheat" (p. 298). Even though I'd read that statement countless times, that day the words had jumped out at me so boldly that I could not avoid paying attention. I thought about the spiritual promise of what true hope is—a deep trust and reliance on God. And I reasoned that when we place our hope in divine Principle, we can never be cheated. Since I'd seen many healings in my life through turning to God in prayer, I knew that there must be an answer to this difficult situation as well.

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Our livelihood—entrusted to God

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