Go ahead...pray about it

For as long as I can remember, whenever I lost something, I would halfheartedly think to myself: “Well, nothing can ever be lost in God’s kingdom. God is always guiding me and leading me in the right direction, so He will lead me to what I have lost.” Then I would look for the lost object, listening only to my own thoughts, turn up empty-handed, and come to the conclusion that praying to find lost items wasn’t reasonable and didn’t work. To comfort myself after losing something of importance or value, I would simply shrug it off, thinking that since Christian Science teaches we are all spiritual and there is actually no substance in matter or material things, losing an object didn’t really matter. However, I knew this thinking was not quite right and needed to be corrected.

During my freshman year of high school at Principia, a school for Christian Scientists, I finally had an opportunity to really understand that nothing is ever lost in God’s kingdom. A few days before the opening night of the school’s musical production, Crazy for You, I was in the lobby of the auditorium rehearsing several of the dance numbers with my fellow dancers. I love to dance, and tap is my favorite. This performance was very important to me, as I had worked very hard for months to make it perfect.

As we got ready to go back into the auditorium, I noticed that the metal tap on my tap shoe had come loose, and the tiny screw that held it in place was missing. I got very worried since there were no other tap shoes that I could wear, no other screws small enough to fix the tap, and no time to order new shoes before opening night. What was I going to do?

However, as quickly as those anxious thoughts came to me, they were replaced by the thought “pray about it.” At first, based on past experience, this seemed silly to me, and I wanted to ignore this angel message. Then the message came to me again, this time more firmly, so I was obedient and started to pray. The idea was familiar. It was, “Nothing is ever lost in God’s kingdom.” This time, the message was really strong and spoke to my heart. I began to reflect on the spiritual truths I had learned as a child, knowing that God is always guiding, guarding, and governing me. 

A verse from one of Mary Baker Eddy’s poems, which is also a hymn in the Christian Science Hymnal, came to mind: 

I knew that God was my Shepherd and that He would lead me in the right direction—I only needed to listen for His voice, not my own, and know that I could never stray from the right path, or the truth. 

This time, the message spoke to my heart.

Another quote—this one from the Bible—came to mind, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths” (Proverbs 3:5, 6). All I needed to do was fully and completely trust God, and He would direct me to a solution. I affirmed that there is only one Mind, God, and I am at one with that Mind. I couldn’t rely on worries, doubts, or even lean on my own understanding to guide me. Instead, I needed to trust in God and His law of harmony.

As I prayed, I crouched down on the lobby floor and began to feel around with my hand. Within just a minute, I felt my hand roll over the tiny screw. I quickly picked it up, had my tap shoe fixed, and made it on stage to perform the dances, all the while praising God.

I am so grateful for this proof of God’s guidance and complete care. In Mary Baker Eddy’s poem “The Mother's Evening Prayer,” she tells us, “… God is good, and loss is gain” (Poems, p. 4). I understand this so much better now since the lost-screw situation helped me gain a strong confidence in God’s ever-presence. I truly and absolutely know I can always trust in God because He is forever guiding me and leading me down just the right path. Through humble prayer and listening, I know I will always be guided to find what is good.