Where do we find solutions to life's problems?

God—the first resort

By Margaret G. Griffin

A Truck Was Blocking my view. I'd been driving along a narrow, winding country road, on my way to pick up my son from day camp. My drive was green and restful—truly harmonious—until I caught up with the truck in front of me. Suddenly my view was gone, and along with it my serene state of thought.

Well, just as quickly as the problem came about, it was abruptly gone. Without even any conscious effort, I turned my thought from nature's landscape to the spiritual beauty of God's allness. With this new outlook, the real gorgeousness that surrounded me was perceptible not through material eyes, but rather through a spiritual sense of the loveliness that is God-expressed. I was no longer seeing just trees, shrubs, rolling hills, birds, sky, sun—I was seeing life, health, joy, freshness. But perhaps most significant of all, I was seeing spiritually. The resulting serenity was much deeper than the earlier one. And with it, I felt an extraordinary sense of gratitude.

This change took place in just a few moments as I was driving along. Then, as I "came to," so to speak, I saw that not only was my thought transformed, but so were the circumstances around me. The truck was much farther up the road. There was a large space between us that again allowed an unrestricted view of the scenery. I realized that as I'd been busy recognizing spiritual harmony, I unconsciously had relaxed on the gas pedal, increasing the distance between myself and the truck. This restored the view—a view and a solution that had been available to me all the time.

This momentary, simple experience taught me a larger lesson—it reminded me of the ever-present, ever-helpful, invisible good we know as God. When we're faced with a problem, whether it be a minor annoyance or something more serious, the solution may not be immediately visible in the usual sense. But, if this material view is replaced by spiritual sense, the solution, which had been present all along, will become visible.

The Bible is teeming with examples of people who, in a manner of speaking, had "trucks" blocking their view—obstacles to their natural freedom and harmony—and then, through spiritual sense and the recognition of God's ever-present loving care, saw the way to be free from the obstacles. Mary Baker Eddy addresses this in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures: "In Egypt, it was Mind which saved the Israelites from belief in the plagues. In the wilderness, streams flowed from the rock, and manna fell from the sky. ... Even in captivity among foreign nations, the divine Principle wrought wonders for the people of God in the fiery furnace and in kings' palaces"(p. 133). On the basis of commonly accepted physical laws, who could have foreseen that the Israelites' water supply would be released from a rock or that their next meal would be dispensed from the sky? And, on the same basis, who would have known how to escape from severe burns while standing in a furnace of fire? Such solutions are not apparent to those relying on physical laws and senses. But still, such resolutions were witnessed and reported.

The lesson for all of us is to look first to God for a solution. There's no need to delay.

Send a comment to the editors

We'd love to hear from you!

Easily submit your testimonies, articles, and poems online.

Submit