A mission I support

Here is a story of how The Christian Science Monitor changed my career.

I was never planning to go to college. School was a bitter disappointment, and I couldn’t handle teachers’ criticism. It was very discouraging and I felt academically inferior.

At 18, I was working as a dishwasher in a kitchen. My boss had promoted me to a waiter position, but after two weeks I was sent back to the dish room. I was too shy to ask her why. All of those frustrations from school reignited my fears of inferiority. So I suffered in silence. But I prayed. I asked God for guidance. And like many things that come from God, the message was surprising.

It came to me that I should devote some time each day in prayer for The Christian Science Monitor. So I started to pray. I affirmed that the Monitor had a special mission and could not be stopped. I acknowledged the world needed this paper and there was no limit to the blessings it could bring. And I realized the idea of the Monitor was complete, as it was inspired by God, so it could meet the needs of those who needed it. I clung to Mary Baker Eddy’s mandate for the paper, “… to injure no man, but to bless all mankind” (The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany, p. 353 ).

Then I hit a wall. I needed new inspiration. I wasn’t sure how to pray for an international newspaper. There seemed to be lingering doubt regarding my effectiveness. So I quietly listened. The next day I had a strange encounter with a Boston Globe truck. Each vehicle of that newspaper had the question printed on it, “Have you seen the Globe today?” so I asked that question to the driver I met at a red light. It was a joke, but his answer nearly blew me off of my bike. “No,” he said, “I read The Christian Science Monitor.” I saw that as a sign from God saying, “Why don’t you read it too? Every word.”

I would enter into conversations about world events.

So at night, with very clean hands from scrubbing pots, and sometimes feeling dead tired, I would faithfully pick up my Monitor and pray for each world situation, as I was guided. I felt like I had become a stakeholder in the planet’s outcome. It was very empowering. Because many Monitor staffers are spiritual seekers and thinkers, I concluded, they are open to the idea of healing in the stories they write. Much inspiration resulted from this line of reasoning, and as a result I became much more confident. I also noticed that I was becoming astute. I would enter into conversations about world events with people I considered much smarter than I. It was fun to see their startled look when I introduced an idea they hadn’t considered.

In the beginning I would skip over the ads in the paper, but I was nagged by the thought that I needed to be faithful and read the entire issue. So the first time I read the classifieds I was surprised to find a job perfect for me. But then thoughts of doubt came creeping in. Logic told me that there was no chance the company would hire a dishwasher who couldn’t even make it as a waiter. So I gave up on the idea. But the idea didn’t give up on me.

Three weeks later that ad was still running. I came home one night after a Christian Science lecture and, feeling more courageous, sat down and wrote the owner a 13-page letter telling him about myself, and mentioning that while I didn’t have much experience, if he hired me, he would have “youth on his side.” I felt like each word of that letter was inspired by divine Love. I put it in an envelope, walked it to the mailbox at midnight, and dropped it in. I was in no way confident that I would get the job. In fact, I put the whole thing out of my mind, laughing at what I thought was probably an exercise in futility.

So I was shocked, three days later, when I received a call from the company asking to interview me. “You have exactly the qualities that I am looking for,” said the owner of the company. I feel that divine Love spoke to that man’s heart and also told me not to be afraid to journey 3,000 miles for the interview. Shortly after arriving in California, I received a job offer. The owner didn’t care whether I was a good waiter, he thought that I had the qualities to be a top salesman. And he was right.

My maturing was brought about by a willingness to support the divine mission of the Monitor. As a result, I was guided later to apply to Principia College. Then, after graduation, I went on to be hired by the Monitor and worked there for several years in National News. Nothing can limit the good to be accomplished with one single decision to pray! And in my case, this prayer directly involved the Monitor.