Bible Lessons and being alert

When I was in high school, back in the days when gas was around 60 cents a gallon, my friends and I would regularly cruise around town in my parents’ old 1970 Chevy Caprice. My friends and I called it the old Blue Bomb. It took us everywhere, even though the carburetor would stick, and I would often have to open the hood to stick a pencil in it to get it started. I remember we would often combine the loose change in our pockets and put in a dollar of gas to pay for what we used. We had a regular circuit we would take around town that included driving around the subdivisions and areas where friends lived to see if anything was “happening.” Those were the days!

Those were also the days when I started to read and study regularly the weekly Christian Science Bible Lessons. One particular week during this time, there was a Lesson that I found very interesting and thought about quite a bit. And to this day, I have never forgotten what I learned from it.

I don’t recall now what the particular subject of that Bible Lesson was, or which Bible stories or citations were used. But I do remember that a portion of it was about the idea of alertness. I remember thinking about and being intrigued that alertness is an attribute of God, divine Mind. I had learned a lot about God in Sunday School through the years, and about His spiritual attributes or qualities such as mercy, compassion, goodness, intelligence, wisdom, etc. And I don’t know why, but it had never occurred to me until that week’s Bible Lesson, that alertness was one of the qualities or attributes of divine Mind. And because we are God’s children, created in God’s likeness, we naturally express this spiritual quality. The Lesson also pointed out the importance of listening and continuously being alert to what God is telling us and directing us to do.

Another message came to thought even more strongly... “Slow down!”

In addition to studying the Bible Lessons at that time, I would also try to find an idea in each Lesson that I would put into practice each week. For instance, if the subject was “Love,” I would perhaps try to find ways of practicing being more loving or kind. This particular week I decided to try to see how I could practice, or in other words express, more of this God-given spiritual quality of alertness. I sincerely tried to be more alert to what was going on around me and to listen for and be obedient to the thoughts that God was giving me.

Then, one day later in the week, my friends and I headed out in the old Blue Bomb to do our regular “circuit.” As we cruised around town, we headed into a residential area where some friends lived to drive by their houses. The car was full of noisy teenagers and the music was loudly blaring. But, while I was driving down one of the side streets, the thought came to me very strongly, “Be alert!” And so I did become very alert to what was going on around us.

Just then, I noticed a bicyclist riding down a cross street toward the street we were on. This cross street had a stop sign, and I had the right of way, so it was natural to assume the cyclist would stop for traffic. But another message came to thought even more strongly, “Slow down!” I had not been going very fast; in fact, I was already going less than the speed limit. However, because of my spiritual study during the week, I didn’t question this directive but was obedient and immediately began slowing down the car. As I did, I reached the intersection where the cyclist was coming from, and much to everyone’s surprise, he didn’t stop. He continued through the stop sign without even looking for opposing traffic.

At that moment, because I was going so slowly, I was quickly able to bring the car to a complete halt. Just as I did, the cyclist saw us and skidded to a stop, landing directly in front of the car, but was untouched and unharmed. I remember feeling so very grateful for this evidence of God’s presence with us, caring for and protecting us all.

I remain to this day so grateful for that Bible Lesson so many years ago, and for that lesson on alertness. As Christ Jesus instructs, “Take ye heed, watch and pray” (Mark 13:33 )—turn to God and listen, be alert, and obey.