Several years after finding Christian Science, I opened an antique and handmade gifts store. At first everything went well and it flourished. Then a series of unfortunate events changed everything, and I found myself many months behind in both my rent and car payments. 

I was devastated; I had never experienced anything like that before. I had to handle feelings of guilt that I had opened this business with very little money, with no financial cushion, and no formal business experience or business education.

However, at the time, opening the business had felt right and I had proceeded in faith. Finding the store’s location had been such a blessing, and everything leading to the opening had fallen into place so perfectly. I also knew that as infinite Mind’s reflection I always had the God-given ability to express divine intelligence. In fact, my lack of human knowledge regarding business couldn’t prevent me from reflecting wisdom since “God is intelligence” as Mary Baker Eddy writes in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures (p. 2). Also from this book was this reassuring statement: “Controlled by the divine intelligence, man is harmonious and eternal” (p. 184). The guilt lifted, but I still felt very frightened and alone without any idea of how to resolve things.

I continued praying diligently about the situation and found that reading the Christian Science periodicals kept the fear at bay and calmed me—especially accounts of impossible situations being resolved. In the same way, I was encouraged by people’s healings in the chapter “Fruitage” from Science and Health. Each day my courage was fortified in spite of no change in the outward circumstances. 

One night as I locked the door to my store, the healing angel message came into my consciousness that “with God, I don’t know how to fail.” I took to heart that despite difficult, and even desperate circumstances, God would provide an answer, whatever it might be. Also, I found this in John 4:35, where Christ Jesus told his disciples: “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.”

I was grateful that there was a bank still willing to work with me. However, one afternoon they called me at my store and said that I needed at least $800 in my bank account in 15 minutes or they would repossess my car. 

Stunned, I repeated what they said in an attempt to fully understand the message and sank into a chair in the back room, frozen with fear. As tears welled up and I could barely think, Jesus’ direction to “look up” came to me. I realize he wasn’t being literal when he said this (he was talking about turning to reliance on divine Spirit as the source of supply), but I actually looked up, and, when I did, I saw a hand being held out to me. 

A kind man I had never met before, who had come to fix my computer, had overheard my call and was now handing me the money I needed. “Hurry, go” he said. I ran the two blocks to the bank and made the deposit with time to spare. 

This wasn’t really about my receiving some money from another person to fix my problems. All the consecrated prayer about the situation, and finding hope by turning away from the problem to Spirit, looking “up” to see the harvest of good before me, was the foundation of this experience. The intense fear, despair, and helplessness were gone. 

I was able to pay back the computer repairman, and we became good friends. Before long, blessings seemed to come in from everywhere, people paying me money owed and free marketing venues—such as a daily newspaper doing a full-page story on my store. There was a full restoration of my business and financial affairs.

New business opportunities presented themselves, too, when I wasn’t even pursuing them. For instance, I noticed that an antique store up the street from mine had a sign posted that it was going out of business. Inspired by how God had helped me, I decided to visit because I wanted to encourage the owner. However, I found the owner in terrible distress as he told me that he had to be completely out of the store the very next day but he had nowhere to put all his items. What transpired was that I was able to sell his items for him and receive a percentage—an arrangement that kept him from feeling overwhelmed and blessed me, too. 

Throughout this entire experience I felt such a deepening awareness of God’s warm love for me and His tender loving care for all.