Things were tight! We took a long, hard look at our career choices. I constantly scrutinized my spending habits, hoping to cut out enough frills so that we could afford the "basics."

Then one day I stopped short. "Do I believe that all we really need is food and shelter? Do I think we can live without beauty or refinement? Because if I do, I must also believe that music (my husband's profession) is a luxury that the world can do without. I must believe that man is basically a physical organism and that anything that isn't physically tangible is expendable."

That just didn't fit with my understanding of God and His creation. The Bible includes so many rich tributes to God's infinite goodness. He is described as tender and mighty, beautiful and wise, glorious and faithful. He isn't one-dimensional, and He certainly isn't physical. Christ Jesus said plainly, "God is a Spirit." If man is truly the likeness of Spirit, as the Bible teaches, he reflects Spirit's limitless diversity.

What did that have to do with career choices and spending habits? For one thing, it meant that the spiritual quality my husband's music expressed was absolutely vital to our well-being and to mankind. It meant that beauty was as valuable and necessary as utility and that God's provision for us included beauty and inspiration.

Over the years, a growing appreciation of these facts, and an honest effort to apply them to day-to-day circumstances, have helped us overcome fear that our resources could be inadequate. Learning to value every God-derived quality, and aspiring to express more, not less, of these qualities, have brought greater fulfillment to our lives.

Because each one's real selfhood as God's likeness includes all good, not a single Godlike quality is really expendable. Mary Baker Eddy, who discovered and founded Christian Science, certainly proved this in meeting the demands of founding an international religious movement. Clearly, her work required attributes that were normally considered unessential or inappropriate for a nineteenth-century woman. Through her vivid perception of the vastness and richness of God's nature, she was able to express great organizational and business acumen and at the same time enjoy a keen interest in civic and world affairs, invention, music, poetry. Mrs. Eddy understood man to be "the compound idea of God, including all right ideas," as she wrote in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures.

"Including all right ideas" doesn't imply that we're to strive to "have it all." Jesus' teachings show us that our motive shouldn't really be to accumulate material objects or to gain notoriety, but rather to appreciate whatever uplifts thought, to express the infinite range and perfect balance of Spirit's goodness—to seek the kingdom of God. As Mrs. Eddy writes in Science and Health, "The Divine Being must be reflected by man,—else man is not the image and likeness of the patient, tender, and true, the One 'altogether lovely;' but to understand God is the work of eternity, and demands absolute consecration of thought, energy, and desire."

When the rent is due tomorrow, raising the cash to pay it may seem a very urgent demand; it virtually screams out for our attention, for our "thought, energy, and desire." At that moment, understanding God may be the last thing on our minds. But that is actually the very moment we can benefit most from lifting our vision beyond the immediate crisis to behold man as the reflection of the Divine Being, which is utterly complete. The Divine Being has infinite ability to express every possible worthwhile idea, supplies its own avenues of opportunity, includes its own secure support, has perfect wisdom and power, and faithfully cares for its reflection.

A frightened mortal is simply not God's reflection. A frustrated mortal, trudging through a wasteland of opportunity or a jungle of competition, is not that reflection. Spiritual man, inspired, satisfied, and securely led by divine Love, is that reflection. Through prayer that acknowledges man's perfect likeness to all-inclusive Spirit, we can begin to discern that this perfect, spiritual man is who we really are, our genuine selfhood. We can come to experience more of the good which that true selfhood includes. And this will meet the human need in practical and effective ways.

Because each of us, in truth, reflects not only the completeness but the diversity of Spirit, we may discover that our prayer is answered in unique and unexpected ways. We may also find that a variety of legitimate demands on our time and attention can actually bring a useful balance to our lives rather than pull us apart.

Some people may believe, for instance, that a career in the arts just doesn't provide the stability and security that a family needs, or that the responsibilities of caring for a family would tie them down and inhibit the progress of their careers. While each one's needs and experience are individual, and what may be appropriate for one person may not be appropriate for another, we shouldn't feel constricted. As we understand that man, Spirit's reflection, includes all right ideas, such as stability and freedom, security and progress, we find that Spirit brings light and perspective to every aspect of experience. The unconditional love that a family relationship demands strengthens and enriches our lives. Work that expresses God's beauty uplifts our outlook and expands our outreach.

We progress in our careers and support our families best by maintaining our fidelity to God's distinct purpose for us. Relinquishing limited, personal views about what we should be accomplishing enables us to supply fresh opportunities to glorify Him and bless mankind.

There may be times when our trust in this truth is deeply challenged. Courage and strong spiritual vision may be required to stay the course without being able to see exactly what the outcome will be. But should we be dismayed when circumstances demand of us a deeper and more steadfast reliance on Spirit as substance?

Humanity is desperately searching for fulfillment, reaching for something more satisfying than superficial materiality. Our humble willingness to pray for spiritually enlightened solutions to this challenge will light the way for others to recognize and express the fullness of God's nature.

Please note: "Letters from the Persian Gulf (part two)," originally scheduled for the June 17, 1991, Sentinel, has now been rescheduled for the July 1, 1991, issue.