In a city where I lived, a local high school has a "Clash Day" when students purposely dress in clothes that combine the most outrageous colors and prints imaginable. Once, when celebrating this event with the students, I was hard pressed to find clothes in my wardrobe that clashed, mainly because today we tolerate a much wider diversity in the way we dress.

That got me to thinking about how we determine what sometimes clashes in life in our relations with one another. One explanation might be that clashes develop from a limited understanding of what constitutes harmony.

We see examples in social, family, business, and national arenas where much wider diversity is accommodated today than in the past. Marrying someone from a different ethnic, religious, or racial group is now more accepted in many areas. Men and women are freer to pursue careers and lifestyles based on their interests and skills instead of their gender or age. Also, differing political viewpoints are more accepted now in countries where freedom of thought was formerly rejected.

Of course eliminating clashes does not mean condoning rude or illegal behavior, accepting anarchy, or overlooking immorality so that anyone can do what he or she wants whenever the individual wants to do it. Nor does it mean ignoring turbulence in the hope that problems will just go away with positive thinking. Instead, we can turn to prayer so that solutions will be based on a clearer understanding of spiritual reality. In this way we remove those ungodlike restraints that would keep us away from the good that is natural to our experience.

What is the spiritual reality that can resolve clashes among us? Christ Jesus taught and proved that spiritual reality is the harmonious creation of an all-loving, infinitely powerful Father-Mother God. As the children of this divine creator, we are, in a sense, sisters and brothers. This gives us a basis for learning to work together. Christ Jesus also provided some specific insights into our status in relation to God. He taught that we should accept responsibility for sin—for thoughts and behavior in opposition to God, Love—but that we can overcome such tendencies. Yet he never endorsed a view that God's children were hopeless sinners or superior autocrats. On the contrary, the Master's ministry brought out the joy and love that come as we learn to know God and live in accord with His purpose.

In the Christian Science textbook, Science and Health, Mrs. Eddy explains the impact our reliance on the one God can have on our lives. She declares, "One infinite God, good, unifies men and nations;constitutes the brotherhood of man; ends wars; fulfils the Scripture, 'Love thy neighbor as thyself;' annihilates pagan and Christian idolatry,—whatever is wrong in social, civil, criminal, political, and religious codes; equalizes the sexes; annuls the curse on man, and leaves nothing that can sin, suffer, be punished or destroyed" (p. 340).

This idea helped me at a job, where I took care of the advertising and public relations responsibilities. For years prior to my tenure, our company had been almost completely ignored by the local newspaper when it came to publicizing important events and the achievements of its employees.

I sought ways to correct mistaken impressions about the company that might have caused editorial oversights or intentional omissions. But when I met with one of the newspaper's reporters, her friendliness turned to anger, and I received a tirade of defensive remarks that made me feel very uncomfortable. After praying quietly to know that the one God was in control of His creation and that in truth we were both under His government, I calmly told her that I did not believe we were adversaries. Since we both had the same goal—that of improving the quality of life in our community—we could work together. She agreed with this approach, and we ended the conversation in a friendly way.

Standard public relations practice would dictate that I write a follow-up note to her, and phone often, just to keep the name of my company in front of her. But I resisted that approach, choosing to rely on prayer instead. I knew that the legitimate nature of my company's business could be readily seen by honest individuals. And I prayerfully acknowledged that, under God's government, harmony is the only real option. So I didn't have to coerce anyone into feeling favorably toward me or toward the good work we were doing.

Two weeks later the reporter called to ask if she could do a story about some people at our company who had achieved a high level of excellence. This resulted in a wonderful, front-page article not only about our company but about how others could accomplish that degree of excellence themselves.

In the book of Romans in the Bible, Paul tells us, "All things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose" (8:28). My discovery that God had only good in store for His children freed me to give up any strong feelings aroused by the clash that had occurred between me and the reporter and to trust divine Love. As time has progressed, so have we in our professions, and now we are both engaged in endeavors that bless many more people.

The recognition of my unity with God as His offspring and of others as His spiritual ideas also formed the basis of my thoughts toward the work my company gave me to do, and led me to work harmoniously in all its assignments. As we look around our world, it would seem that many clashes can be resolved as we accept this spiritual truth. There really is less that divides and more that unites us, and our prayers and daily lives can help to bring this fact to light.