A neighbor I’d never met called me and was extremely upset. In an effort to serve our community, I had rounded up some neighbors to help with a need. But this woman told me she was usually the one to organize things like this and had already started working on a project to help meet the need. She was not happy that I had taken this initiative without her knowledge. I had been unaware of her volunteer work and its scope, but she felt her efforts had been wasted, and her side of the conversation was filled with false assumptions, harsh criticisms, and belittling comments. 

It was difficult to know how to respond. But in situations like this, when a conversation becomes uncomfortable or heated, I’ve learned to turn everything over to God, divine Love. I’ve come to trust that prayer will reveal what I need to know about the natural harmony and peace that exist spiritually within and between us.

Mary Baker Eddy, the Discoverer of Christian Science, writes: “If Truth is overcoming error in your daily walk and conversation, you can finally say, ‘I have fought a good fight . . . I have kept the faith,’ because you are a better man. This is having our part in the at-one-ment with Truth and Love” (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 21).