“Divine Love always has met and always will meet every human need.” This quotation from Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy (p. 494) is inscribed on the walls of many Churches of Christ, Scientist. I remember being told by a Christian Science lecturer to “stay on the divine Love side of the equation.” In other words, stay with the spiritual facts rather than dwelling on the human need. In running a family-owned retail shoe business, I learned over and over that divine Love, more than human planning, will meet the human need. 

During the Great Depression, when my father-in-law was running the company as a shoe manufacturing business, he prayed with a Christian Science practitioner over falling sales, and an original idea came to light. This idea allowed the business to transition from manufacturing to retail. It set up the company to fund retail stores and treat store managers like owners. The managers flourished when given this responsibility and accountability, and the stores were successful.

My wife and I inherited the family business when we were in our mid-twenties, putting me at the helm. The plan for my training to run the business was cut short because of my father-in-law’s unexpected passing. Some of the store managers, who had decades of experience, resented my new position. 

I had been blessed in my training to see how my father-in-law lived by the Golden Rule, which was integral to Christ Jesus’ teachings: “Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them” (Matthew 7:12). His fair treatment of all staff created loyalty and satisfaction. A family business is, after all, a “family”—a group of people who work together and do their best, who get along and contribute to the whole. I had also learned as a child in the Christian Science Sunday School, and in daily living, that for good relationships you must first have a good relationship with God. Christian Science teaches that God is our Father-Mother and that we can turn to God, also known as divine Love, in every situation. I decided to love everyone, including each manager, and what he or she contributed to the business. This love dissolved the resentment.

My day always began with study of the weekly Bible Lesson from the Christian Science Quarterly. This Lesson about God and man (meaning everyone’s spiritual identity) gave me strength to face challenging business situations and find solutions. In one instance, I heard of a family-owned shoe store in another city that was possibly looking for a succession plan. It had served its community well for generations, and it was important to the owner that it continue to provide this service. The owner felt that our business and ethics matched their approach. We valued the love and contribution this owner had provided to the community, and we were blessed to purchase the store and continue this mission. As it turned out, the addition of this store to our company supplied significant profitability over many years.

A year after we purchased it, the manager of this store suddenly quit. Surprised and disappointed, I prayed earnestly to see how this immediate need could be met. It had become a practice of mine while driving to outlying stores to learn hymns from the Christian Science Hymnal by heart. The hymns had such comforting messages singing praises to God. They reassured me that God had an answer for this problem, too. 

Within a month, an individual was recommended to us for the position. He turned out to be one of our best managers and stayed with the business until his retirement. Other family business owners sometimes asked how we found such good managers. It all boiled down to the Golden Rule and continually relying on divine Love’s guidance.

At one point a family shareholder requested to have her shares redeemed. We had expanded our stores with a new concept and needed all funds to operate. I turned to God in prayer. The Bible says of Him, “Before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear” (Isaiah 65:24). I also knew from Science and Health that “in the scientific relation of God to man, we find that whatever blesses one blesses all, as Jesus showed with the loaves and the fishes,—Spirit, not matter, being the source of supply” (p. 206). I knew that divine Love would not cause the business to suffer in order to rightly bless this individual. We all would be blessed. 

That is precisely what took place. It came to me to approach a company and inquire of their interest in purchasing some of our stores. Initially, the proposal seemed far-fetched, but eventually it was accepted. The sale not only gave us the needed funds to pay the family shareholder but also blessed the buyer in allowing them to quickly expand into a new region. Our reduced number of stores turned out to be an ongoing blessing for us when the retail market took a downturn over the ensuing years. Nothing but divine Love could have put all these pieces together.

These are just a few of the many instances of prayer bringing to light wonderful solutions for the business. I attribute the success of the business to appreciating and respecting the viewpoints of all of our employees. This produced an atmosphere of fairness, trust, and love, which enabled employees to flourish. In turn, customers were well served, and sales were steadily good. This was not human strategy but following God’s guidance. I am so grateful to God for Christ Jesus, who showed us the Way, and to Mary Baker Eddy, who showed us the Science behind Christ Jesus’ teachings. 

Don Zacher
Toronto, Ontario, Canada