HOW DO YOU MAKE A DECISION?

ETHEL DANIELS HUBBARD

Sometimes the questions are asked: How do you come to the point of decision? How do you know you are right? How can you be sure you are actuated by divine Mind and not by the subtle insistence of human will? Are you certain that you are not unduly influenced by the opinions of others? In other words, is your judgment based on personal considerations or upon divine Principle, God, that bedrock of wisdom and foresight? These are important questions, the answers to which can impede or facilitate spiritual progress.

A student of Christian Science was faced with the necessity of making a decision which would affect the happiness of another as well as of herself. Because there were technical details involved, she felt obliged to seek legal and financial advice, although she was depending on God, as she had learned to do in Christian Science, to guide her. Certain steps appeared in prompt and orderly sequence, giving the impression of right unfoldment. One opportunity which ordinarily was not available became possible. The different steps had followed one another with such convincing precision that the student felt bound to follow the course prescribed. Yet she was never happy or free from misgiving.

The evening before the contract was to be signed, making the transaction final, doubt and uncertainty rose to a high pitch. Acutely distressed, the student went to her room. She knew there must be an answer, a clear and assured answer, unmixed with these disquieting doubts. Unreservedly she turned to divine Mind, refusing to listen any more to the insistent arguments of mortal mind. She determined that whatever Mind, Spirit, God, bade her do she would do, though it ran counter to the professional advice she had received or differed from the judgment of Christian Scientists who were close to her and were giving loving consideration to her welfare. She would listen to the divine voice exclusively.

At that instant the fog lifted and she saw her way with startling clearness. She saw with astonishment that the action she had contemplated and almost consummated was entirely wrong. It appeared so bleak and forbidding that she wondered how she could have considered it for a moment. A heavy weight was lifted, and she felt light-hearted and free.

The negative side of the decision was settled; but what about the positive? She knew what she should not do, but now she needed to pray to know what step to take. The forward move was soon made plain to her waiting thought. As Mind unfolded the new line of action, she saw that the environment which hitherto had seemed so unbearable no longer appeared obstructive and burdensome, but full of promise for free, happy living and spiritual growth. A great sense of peace flooded her consciousness, dispelling the doubt and dread. At that moment the student discerned a basic truth—that when through prayer one reaches a right conclusion, he knows it by his untroubled state of mind. Without a sense of peace, it is unwise, if not dangerous, to take action.

Out of this experience the student also learned that really there is but one decision to make, namely, to let God direct. Why is it that we resort to the adulterated reasoning of mortal mind when the Scriptures declare (Job 36:4), "He that is perfect in knowledge is with thee?" Are we so resigned to the drab limitations of mortal thinking that we blind ourselves to the illimitable resources of divine Mind? If we sensed more vividly "the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God," as the Apostle Paul sensed it (Rom. 11:33), we should not wait until disciplined by disappointment and frustration before seeking that perfect unfoldment. If we understood more fully man's relation to God, as child to Parent, as idea to its source, divine Mind, we should always turn to our Father-Mother God for inspiration and guidance. We should come to know, as Jesus knew with unwavering certainty, that "the Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do" (John 5:19). Jesus felt no impulse to act independently of the Father. He saw not only the futility of such action, but its utter impossibility.

Our Leader, Mary Baker Eddy, has given us a powerful example of obedience and its mighty fruitage in her dependence upon divine Mind for every decision, great or small, pertaining to the Christian Science movement. Never did that obedience falter. She did not experiment. She listened and obeyed. She has left for her followers a simple directive in these words (Miscellaneous Writings, p. 117): "Be sure that God directs your way; then, hasten to follow under every circumstance."

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