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Found: my wallet and my true identity
One day several months ago, I misplaced my wallet. I didn’t know if it had fallen out of my bag, been left at a store, stolen, or if it was just lost somewhere at work or at home. I spent most of my time that night looking for it, and the rest of my time trying to pray instead of worry. I thought about Jesus’ parable of the woman who lost a piece of silver, then lit a candle and cleaned her house until she found it (see Luke 15:8, 9). This biblical story showed me the importance of turning to the light of understanding, and cleaning out doubt or worry from thought. It reminded me that God, Mind, the only cause and creator, could never be confused, forgetful, or unaware for a single moment, and that as Her expression I reflect this intelligence and awareness.
As I prayed with these ideas, I cleaned my messy room. I went along, putting things in their right place, finding that I was no longer afraid. I knew that God supplies my every need and that I could not be deprived of anything that is rightfully mine. At one point I even found a scarf that had been missing for over nine months. So I had my newfound scarf, a nicely cleaned room, and an organized purse—but still no wallet.
I continued to pray. I thought about the contents of my wallet: money, credit cards, and ID. These things can sometimes seem to form a large part of our value and our identity. I knew this was 100 percent false, because God’s spiritual man could never be measured or identified by material possessions or systems. We read in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy: “There is but one creator and one creation. This creation consists of the unfolding of spiritual ideas and their identities, which are embraced in the infinite Mind and forever reflected” (pp. 502–503). This meant that I was not an isolated mortal, stumbling through complications and circumstances in a daily routine. Instead, all humanity is part of the one creation from the one creator. We are not fragmented and helpless, but divinely and specifically loved and maintained.
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