My friend played goalie for his local ice hockey club—and loved every minute of it! When he moved to Australia with his family, he played lots of other sports, some of which were completely new to him, but there was no ice hockey.

With his return to the United States three years later, his love of hockey came right back. After my friend tried out for the local team, the coach said that he could come to practices, but thought there was little hope that he could make up for the years he'd missed on the ice. And the team already had a goalie.

It was disappointing, but he was grateful to be included in the practices, and made a promise to himself to work very hard and to enjoy the sport. The coach appreciated his enthusiasm and resilience, and after a time told him that he could tend the goal in practice games and share league games with the regular goalie.

My friend goes to a Christian Science Sunday School. In his family, there was an understanding that on Sunday mornings, Sunday School had top priority. When the game schedule came out and several of the games were scheduled for Sunday mornings, his heart sank. He felt that because of the unusual circumstances and his extra effort there might be an exception to this family rule about attending Sunday School.

His parents could see how much he wanted to play in the games, but as they discussed the situation with him, they explained that learning to put God first was the most important lesson anyone could learn, and that to place love for God and learning about Him a peg below anything else wouldn't be right or helpful. My friend understood this, yet it was difficult to be happy about it! But he knew that obedience to God brings good into our lives and the lives of others. So he prayed to do God's will.

Decisions based on prayer allow us to feel and know God's wise direction and supreme power. Listening to and obeying God is very different from proceeding with a decision based on human will. Human will is a strong determination to do just what we think we want, regardless of any other consideration.

How do we know whether we're listening to human will or God's direction? Well, often the willful decision is pretty much one-sided, usually "our" sided. It sometimes feels forced, urgent, and makes us anxious. The decision based on prayerful listening for God's direction, however, is peaceful and makes us confident. No sense of pushing and pulling accompanies it. God's will for us is invariably good, without penalties.

My friend saw that putting spiritual education ahead of all else is blessed by God and cannot deprive us of anything good. He knew about Daniel, a figure from the Bible (see Dan., chap. 6). Daniel loved God and worshiped faithfully. Daniel was aware that he would be put into a den of lions if he was found petitioning God rather than the king. His devotion to God was strong and sure because he knew the certainty of God's care for him under all circumstances. After spending the night in the den of lions, he came out unharmed. The king even made a decree: "That in every dominion of my kingdom men tremble and fear before the God of Daniel: for he is the living God, and stedfast for ever." And as the Bible states, "Daniel prospered."

One of the lessons to be learned from Daniel is the importance of being willing to depend completely on God and trust His law of good to bring about a right solution. In Daniel's situation, it was his very life that he trusted to God's loving care. Certainly, being put into a den of lions might be viewed as a setback! But Daniel looked beyond the threat of the hungry lions to see that God is all-powerful good. God blesses all His children continuously.

In response to the question "How would you define Christian Science?" Mary Baker Eddy, the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, writes, "As the law of God, the law of good, interpreting and demonstrating the divine Principle and rule of universal harmony" (Rudimental Divine Science, p. 1). Learning of this law and putting it into practice is what Christian Science Sunday School is all about.

The hockey player realized he could trust God's law of good to keep him from being penalized for obeying God and doing His will. He could trust this promise of harmony, and did trust it each week as he went to Sunday School. And as the season went on, some very interesting things happened. Three of the Sunday morning games were postponed because of bad weather; one was canceled. Also, he found himself using the things he was learning in Sunday School when he was on the ice, and his game improved. What he seemed to lack in experience and skills, he resolved through prayer. He realized that grace, alertness, joy, ability, were God-given qualities that he expressed at all times as God's reflection.

It became more important to him to reflect God than to be a good goalie. By the time the championship playoffs came along, he had become so valuable to the team that he was the preferred goalie. The semi-final and final games were scheduled on a Sunday. The semi-final game was at 7:30 a.m. and the final was at noon. Between games, he showered and went to Sunday School. With his help, the team won the championship for the first time in many years. He was honored at the awards dinner for his attitude and contribution. The coach said, "Thank you ... we couldn't have done it without you!"

All of that was thrilling, but the best thing was to see that God's law of good is operating right now and always, and it can be trusted. God really is Love, and He doesn't punish us or overlook us. My friend learned that relying on God's laws (which, of course, excludes human will) brings blessings not only to us, but to everyone else as well.