Putting God First

[Of Special Interest to Young People]

MARGUERITE ALLEN CROSSMAN

Margaret , who was working on her master's degree in the college located in her home town, was troubled about a final examination in a subject which had required a great deal of memory work. Never before had she had occasion to feel fearful about the outcome during examination week; for she had always been a conscientious student in both high school and college. This time, however, things were different, for her mother had been away from home during the greater part of the term, and most of the household duties had been placed in Margaret's hands, leaving her only about forty-five minutes a day for study. Most of the other members of the class had been spending three or four hours each day on this subject.

Margaret was a student of Christian Science and was accustomed to studying the Lesson-Sermon from the Christian Science Quarterly the first thing each morning. On the day of the examination the thought came: "You can read the Lesson when you are through at school. Why not spend this time in reviewing for the examination?" Almost at once she realized that she must put God first if she intended to rely on Him to sustain her under all circumstances; consequently she sat down and carefully studied the Lesson-Sermon for that week. Among the helpful thoughts that she read was this one from the Christian Science textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" by Mary Baker Eddy (p. 167): "Only through radical reliance on Truth can scientific healing power be realized."

This reference, Margaret realized, was a special message for her that day. Why, that was what she was going to have to do—to rely radically on the truth to meet her need. Looking in the dictionary for further enlightenment, she found that one of the definitions given for "radical" was "reaching to the center or ultimate source." This meaning satisfied her, for she realized that the solution of her problem lay in putting complete trust in God, the source of all real life, intelligence, and being. She was comforted by the thought that just as she had never turned in vain to God for help in time of sickness, so now her radical reliance on infinite intelligence would be rewarded.

During the few minutes in the classroom before the examination began, Margaret's thoughts were filled with a calm assurance of the presence of the all-knowing Mind. She was grateful for the confidence that came from relying on the Mind that is all-loving, all-knowing. She recalled that our Leader writes of Christ Jesus (ibid., p. 315): "He knew of but one Mind and laid no claim to any other."

Margaret saw that she, too, must lay no claim to a mind that was fearful, forgetful, or confused. Rather would she rejoice in the truth of the Bible verse (II Tim. 1:7), "God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." A peaceful sense of true dominion remained during the two hours allotted to the examination.

Two days later Margaret met her professor, who told her that, if she wished, she might go to his office to get her examination paper. She was somewhat surprised at first, since it was not the custom to return final examination papers to the students. What joy was hers when she found on her paper an "A" and underneath, the words, "The best paper in the class"!

The whole experience was another proof that when we turn trustingly to God, no matter what the problem, our faith is rewarded. Moreover, Margaret learned that she must continue to spurn any subtle suggestion that the study of the Lesson-Sermon should be put off to a more convenient season. She had had the proof that putting God first pays richly.

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Children of Light

February 22, 1947

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