Virtually every human life encounters situations where the flow of good seems seriously interrupted or even totally blocked. A helpful question to ask is, “Who or what is it that I believe to be controlling the flow of good in my life—of opportunity, happiness, health, affection, peace, and so on?”

It may appear that an employer, a neighbor, a relative, a politician, or a government has put a stumbling block in the path of your good. You may be tempted to feel that you are a helpless victim of unreasonable or belligerent human personalities. In such cases, a higher, spiritual perspective is needed to break through the mesmerism of frustration and fear. It is then possible to remove the grip of whatever prevents us from realizing the natural stream of spiritual good that comes to each of us continuously from the one, infinite Mind, God. 

From the spiritual perspective that Christian Science provides, the culprit is never a person, but always a mistaken belief of the nature of good as finite and material. This mistaken belief appears to possess authority and power, but in fact, it has only the power we attribute to it. 

The Bible tells us, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning” (James 1:17). In other words, God, Spirit, is the only source of good, which is therefore entirely spiritual and totally reliable. 

The culprit is never a person, but always a mistaken belief of the nature of good as finite and material.

All too easily, though, we are tricked into believing that good in all its forms is of human or material origin and is therefore vulnerable to disruption by the action or inaction of others, or that we are personally responsible for determining its continuity—or even existence. 

The concept of good as material, limited, and spasmodic—available to some but not others or some of the time but not always—is like the house built upon earth rather than rock, which collapses in a time of trouble (see Luke 6:48, 49). It would be naive and futile to build our hopes on this material concept of good. 

Rising higher in our prayers to a spiritual understanding of good, we discern its divine Principle, Love, and gain an assurance, built upon that solid foundation, of the continuity and universality of good. And because we are all spiritually equipped by Christ, the divine idea continually speaking to our consciousness, we are able to increasingly demonstrate the spiritual fact of the unstoppable activity of good. 

At times in my career, I reported to managers with highly dominating personalities. They wielded their assumption of power and authority in ways that were personally hurtful to others and disruptive to a productive work environment. I saw fellow employees humiliated and unjustly fired. At times I felt trapped by pressure to meet what seemed like unreasonable and impossible expectations. At one point, I experienced a degree of illness that caused me to resign from my employment because I felt it was the only way I would get well.  

I wanted to bring healing to these situations, for myself and others. I needed to mentally challenge and reject the presumption that a willful and harmful personal power was in control and replace it with the assurance of God’s gracious, loving, and perpetual control. Whose hand did I believe was on the spigot? That is, who or what was I believing controlled the flow of good?

The temptation was to believe myself a victim of a malicious mind totally separate from and unlike God. My prayer included the recognition that because God is both infinite Mind and boundless Love, Love is the only possible Mind governing the universe, including each of us. I rejected the false reasoning that would see Mind and Love as separate and argue that a malicious mentality was in control. Realizing more clearly the inseparable unity of Mind and Love, my fear of a harmful controlling mentality yielded to a peaceful sense of God’s “hand” on the spigot. 

Rising in our prayers to a spiritual understanding of good, we gain an assurance of the continuity and universality of good.

Resolution finally came with that recognition that divine Love is the only Mind of man, governing all individuality, and that no other claim to power could interfere with this spiritual fact. Abusive behaviors lessened, and in some cases, stopped. In the case of my illness, my resignation was not accepted, and I was healed through Christian Science treatment and back at work within three weeks. Best of all, I had a newfound conviction in my freedom from domination. In the two decades of employment that followed, I was free of such experiences and able to help prevent or bring resolution to similar work environments for others. 

News reports from around the globe can be very persuasive in arguing that the flow of good to millions of people is being choked off. It is tempting to believe that willful aggressors are leaving large numbers of people helpless and without hope. But feeling paralyzed by such assessments only tightens the seeming grip of the belief in an evil power. 

Spiritual thinkers can make a meaningful difference by rejecting the mesmeric appearance of the supremacy of evil mentalities and the inadequacy of goodness. Based on the powerful examples of Jesus and his apostles, the Christian Science textbook asserts, “Evil is not supreme; good is not helpless; . . .” (Mary Baker Eddy, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 207).

Christ, the voice of omnipotent Truth and Love, speaks to each individual consciousness. It engenders and animates the spiritual assurance of divine Love’s absolute supremacy and control over all. Good is never absent or helpless. The ever-present divine Principle, Love, is the only Mind, the only lawmaker, and we are all capable of realizing these spiritual facts sufficiently to release the hold that the belief in malicious power claims to have over the free flow of good. 

Unchecked repetition of evil, mental sleepiness, lack of vision, self-denigration—all phases of mortal mind, the false mentality that claims to govern mortals—show that we are acquiescing to an illegitimate hand on the spigot, and they would breed stagnation. 

Mrs. Eddy attributes all opposition to and disruption of good in human existence to the activity of this supposititious mind. She urges: “Stand porter at the door of thought. Admitting only such conclusions as you wish realized in bodily results, you will control yourself harmoniously” (Science and Health, p. 392). To my sense, she is counseling us to be mindful of the spigot and alert to detect any belief that a power acting in opposition to God can exist to prevent anyone from receiving the full flow of God’s goodness.

Let’s endeavor to rise to the height of Mrs. Eddy’s assurance: “The power of Christian Science and divine Love is omnipotent. It is indeed adequate to unclasp the hold and to destroy disease, sin, and death” (Science and Health, p. 412). This will open our experience to the ever-flowing channels of divine good not only for us individually but also for our fellow citizens around the globe.