“Congratulations! You have won millions of dollars, a beautiful luxury car, and $10,000 cash.” The words I was hearing over the phone sounded wonderful. Think of all the people my husband and I could help and all the good that would suddenly come into our lives! Believing in this incredibly good fortune, we began to daydream, and our imaginations went into overdrive. 

To receive this fabulous, unexpected prize, the only stipulation was that we pay some taxes. So my husband and I sent a check and anxiously waited for the money that would follow, only to be told that we needed to send more money ourselves. The reality began to dawn on us that this whole thing was a big scam. The possibility that we were being used by an illegal operation was devastatingly disappointing, and it was extremely hard to accept that we’d been duped.

We reached out to a Christian Science practitioner, who helped us through prayer. Soon we began to acknowledge that our supply comes from God; we were “rich in spirit” (Mary Baker Eddy, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 518), and as children of infinite divine Love, God, we were filled with love to give. The attraction of the money was a false allurement that we could stand up to. Anything that seemed more important than God in our life was not good, no matter how tempting it appeared to be.

We were leaving superficial standards behind.

I thought of a bird spreading its wings and soaring upward into the sky. Had I ever doubted that there would be enough air to sustain its flight? Why then should I doubt that the very same Mind—the divine intelligence that is God—that supplied the bird with what it needed to fly would provide us with all we needed to be able to express the goodness we were created to give?

The Bible has many illustrations of God’s ability to provide for human needs. The children of Israel were cared for as they walked through the wilderness for forty years. Jesus fed thousands with just a couple of fish and a few loaves of bread.

Mrs. Eddy makes this compelling assertion in Science and Health: “God is at once the centre and circumference of being” (pp. 203–204). This meant to me that God, not money or other material riches, was our real source of supply that enabled us to do what was good and right. And in her Miscellaneous Writings 1883–1896, Mrs. Eddy writes, “Whatever simulates power and Truth in matter, does this as a lie declaring itself, that mortals’ faith in matter may have the effect of power; but when the whole fabrication is found to be a lie, away goes all its supposed power and prestige” (p. 334).  

Blossoming in our thoughts was a strong inner confidence and awareness that the supposed glory of material riches could never provide the success we were seeking. True satisfaction comes from the genuine recognition of what really matters—a humble spiritual prayer to put God first in our lives. This prayer brought a new freedom and opened our hearts; we were leaving superficial standards behind.

Even when we’ve been gullible, we can bounce back as we lean on God’s mercy and grace.

My husband and I began to realize we had actually taken a lot of the good in our lives for granted. Our children and family offered many special moments of joy. There were rewarding opportunities to serve our church. We also volunteered in nearby schools. With each chance to give came new ways to see God’s great love for everyone. When we really thought about it, we found we had lots of ways to help others. Christian Science was providing us with lessons to learn and opportunities to develop our ability to reflect God. What more could we ask for? God’s capacity to meet our every need was now suddenly becoming more meaningful.

Through our prayers and the continued prayerful support from the Christian Science practitioner, we became more confident that we reflected wisdom and the ability to recognize and resist evil in all its forms and temptations. We also knew that the people involved in this scam had been tricked by a belief that dishonesty was a way to be successful. It was just as wrong for them to be taken in by such a lie as it was for us. 

The Bible states, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths” (Proverbs 3:5, 6). We came to see that the less we rely on the false promises of materialism and the more we depend on God, the more our needs will be met; our lives will become examples of true completeness. 

Soon, we called the police department’s fraud unit. They confirmed that the whole thing was an illegal operation. They were able to help us take proper steps forward, and we got our money back. 

God’s goodness and love sustain us with the everlasting supply that doesn’t fail. Even when we’ve been gullible, we can bounce back as we lean on God’s mercy and grace. Each day gives us opportunities to prove the abundance of ever-present good. Loving God and knowing Him is our greatest treasure.