Article February 18, 2019 Issue

‘Don’t connect the dots’

Sue A. Spotts

A few years ago I was struggling with a painful condition in my legs that was making it difficult to find a comfortable position either to rest or to sit and work. My own prayers weren’t bringing permanent relief, so I phoned a fellow Christian Scientist to discuss the situation and perhaps gain some fresh spiritual insights.  

In the course of our conversation I mentioned a recent series of events that I found disturbing, suggesting that perhaps this was connected to the physical distress. While it was certainly legitimate to put these concerns on the table for discussion, my friend’s response redirected my thought process entirely. He said simply, “Don’t connect the dots.” Then he added, “They aren’t inherently connected, so don’t do it for them.”

In that moment I mentally flashed back to those coloring books many of us had as children. I envisioned a white page studded with tiny dots, each accompanied by an equally tiny number. No picture was apparent, just a chaos of unrelated dots … until, carefully dragging my pencil along, sequentially, from one numbered dot to the next, I connected all the dots. Then the outline of some farm animal or cartoon character or decorative object became apparent.

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