Every time we have an idle thought, we are among the unemployed. Every idle thought contributes to the problem of unemployment instead of helping to heal it.

In the parable of the talents in the Bible, ^{See Matt. 25:14–30 .} Christ Jesus tells of a man about to travel to a distant country. Before his departure, he gave his servants different sums of money: five talents to one, two to another, and one to a third servant. Upon his return, he found that the first servant had used his money to make five more talents. The second servant had also doubled his money. The third servant, however, had buried his in the ground, so he was not allowed to keep even that one talent.

Our "talents" are God's qualities. Our work is to use these talents, to express them, to employ them. Goodness, integrity, joy, intelligence, are inherent in each of us because we are, in truth, made in God's image and likeness. Recognizing our actual spiritual selfhood as the image of God, we experience the coming of the Christ to consciousness. And as we discern these Godlike qualities and claim them as our own, we express them. But if we bury these talents in the ground, in materiality, they are lost. Mrs. Eddy writes in Science and Health, "In order to apprehend more, we must put into practice what we already know." And later in the paragraph she refers to Jesus' parable: "If 'faithful over a few things,' we shall be made rulers over many; but the one unused talent decays and is lost." ^{Science and Health, p. 323.}

Man, as the expression of God, can never be idle. His reason for being is to manifest God's nature and the action of His laws. Because God, Life, is forever active, man, His expression, must necessarily be active also. Idleness is an impossibility to God. Each one of us, in truth, is always employed to express and to do God's will.

In the Message to The Mother Church for 1900, Mrs. Eddy describes three types of human nature: "the right thinker and worker, the idler, and the intermediate." "The right thinker," she says, "works; he gives little time to society manners or matters, and benefits society by his example and usefulness. He takes no time for amusement, ease, frivolity; he earns his money and gives it wisely to the world." She goes on to describe the idler: "The wicked idler earns little and is stingy; he has plenty of means, but he uses them evilly." Farther on she says, "The intermediate worker works at times. He says: 'It is my duty to take some time for myself; however, I believe in working when it is convenient.' " ^{See '00. 2:7–30.}

Materiality—human busyness, pride, ambition—sometimes seems to bury the qualities of humbleness, childlike trust, and purity. We may find we have spent our day in mindless drifting with the currents of world thought—that we have been caught up in a worldly existence promoted by sensational advertising, tasteless novels, and hit songs, all telling us what we need in order to be happy. Where idle thought is, there is a mental vacuum that leaves room for all sorts of unwanted guests to move right in.

A small child and her mother had been talking about the importance of keeping these unwanted guests from moving into thought. The youngster reflected for a minute and then piped up: "Why, Mommy, it's just like a hotel where all the rooms are filled with God. You just put out a sign saying 'No Vacancy.' Then the wrong thoughts can't come in!"

How does this help to solve the unemployment problem that looms so large to many in our society today?

Pondering our true relation to God as His image, the full expression of His nature, shuts out the negative, the unreal, and fills our thought with what is real and true. Trusting ourselves to a loving Father's care and provision, we cannot be made to fear. We can daily declare man's oneness with God and know that world economic conditions cannot stifle the activity of the Christ. Negative, fearful thinking has no power to make us believe that we lack anything. God loves each one of us dearly. When we humbly turn to Him in prayer, our needs are supplied. As the Bible tells us, "All things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." ^{Rom. 8:28.}

Everything we have to give can supply someone else's need. Self-knowledge, mental housecleaning, and spiritualization of thought help us to silence human will and turn humbly to God for guidance. Sometimes this leads to a completely new and different vocation. When we realize that God is our true employer first and foremost, we are led to positions in which we can express and serve Him best. As Christ Jesus said, "Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me." ^{Matt. 11:29.}

The effectiveness of putting service to God first was proved in one woman's experience some years ago. After working for years in a city, her husband set up his own business in a suburban location. It soon seemed that opportunities for this line of work were limited in that area because of national economic trends. In addition, an expected source of work did not come through. As the welfare of the whole family was involved, a Christian Science practitioner was asked for prayerful help. One thing that became clear to the wife was that somewhere there was a need for each of the wonderful qualities her husband had. His "talents" were God-given, and there was ample opportunity for every right idea and quality to be used.

During that time, the wife was able to have an exhibition of her paintings. Six of them sold, providing some income. For the husband, small jobs appeared from time to time. The family made do, but the larger issue remained unresolved.

One day the husband was told of a job, which he was uniquely suited for, in the city. At first he rejected the idea of relocating once again, but he finally agreed to talk with the individuals involved. Upon discovering that he was perfectly qualified to meet the company's need, and that the job would give him many stimulating opportunities, he accepted the position and continued to work there for many years.

Every moment is loaded with opportunities to be kind, to love, to help, to serve. We only need to discern and develop our fitness to do God's work—to take each minute and use it for good. Mrs. Eddy writes: "Self-ignorance, self-will, self-righteousness, lust, covetousness, envy, revenge, are foes to grace, peace, and progress; they must be met manfully and overcome, or they will uproot all happiness. Be of good cheer; the warfare with one's self is grand; it gives one plenty of employment, and the divine Principle worketh with you,—and obedience crowns persistent effort with everlasting victory." ^{"Miscellaneous Writings, p. 118.} And in the Bible we find the following verses: "In a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour. If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work." ^{II Tim. 2:20, 21.}

The task before us, then, is to purge ourselves daily, so that we will be ready when God gives us a job to do. Sometimes this purging process seems like "warfare" indeed. The carnal, or mortal, mind does not want to be purified, because in this purging process mortal selfhood is destroyed. Thus mortal mind would argue long and hard to preserve itself. But we can persevere with God's help. Even a glimpse of our closeness to God as His man, His expression, lifts our views above a belief in matter-based mortals to see that ungodlike conditions—lack, sin, sickness, death—are in reality never a part of our being.

As we work to see that we are indeed "meet"—both suitable and qualified—for God's tasks, we will always be employed, and in this way can help to heal the problem of unemployment for the world.