Among one’s first lessons in driving school is to lift the eyes from the end of the hood of the car in order to have a wider and broader perspective of the road. The drive is then smoother and steadier, eliminating unnecessary braking, because the objects you encounter along the way no longer appear as scary, looming obstacles.

In the Bible, lifting one’s eyes often signifies seeking God and a higher, divine view of present good. Christ Jesus explained, “Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest” (John 4:35). From God’s perspective, there are never any obstacles to unfolding good. God’s goodness is present and perpetual.

Once, when caught in a legal muddle, I found that the longer it went on, the more tempting it was to focus on what wasn’t going right. Then the case came to a complete impasse. During a long trip away, I took a break from the problem in order to nurture my relationship with God as the Mind—or intelligence—of us all. For six weeks, I contemplated in prayer and spiritual study what it means for God to be everyone’s divine Mind—our only true Mind—the infinite source of all good and right ideas.