Starting over

Whatever we need to do, we're never actually doing it alone.

By Judith Hardy Olson

I saw a small prayer circle—inconspicuous, in a shadowy corner of a metropolitan train station—four young teens and a big brother figure holding hands, eyes closed in silent prayer. Then the big brother's quiet assurances: "You can do it. Stay strong in the Lord. You'll be tested. Every day. Know that. Stay strong in the Lord." Quick, manly hugs all around, then they went outside, where he put them on a Greyhound bus.

A relaunch after rehab perhaps? All I knew was, the earnestness in the faces of those boys, the respect of their counselor, the strength of their shared bond, all said these boys not only could but would "stay strong in the Lord."

Minutes later, I was on a commuter train pondering that poignant picture—its spiritual strength, so pure, so potent. My thought was full of appreciation for those programs and people worldwide that help others restart rightly, and for the efforts of anyone starting over, wanting to do better.

What is it that makes right endeavors doable? What undergirds our prayer, protects our pure desires, gives wings to our hopes, meaning to our lives, and success to our efforts? It's God, Himself, omnipotent Love. Christ Jesus came to show that God is Love, and he proved this by healing the sick and sinners. God's love for us, once felt, impels our love for Him and makes our doing and being good feel natural. The how and why of our ability to "stay strong" are found in the great fact that we are actually God's spiritual expression. Whatever we're required to do, we're never actually doing it alone. We have the all-power of God's love—the love of His all-power—guiding us, protecting and supporting our footsteps.

God's great love in action. That's what I'd witnessed in the station. No wonder the counselor's conviction and the boys' sincerity rang true.

Mary Baker Eddy, who started this magazine to help others discover spiritual solutions to life's challenges, knew God well as an ever-present help. She gave the world this assurance in Science and Health, a textbook for living: "If you believe in and practise wrong knowingly, you can at once change your course and do right" (p. 253). The big brother's counsel to his charges said this, too. And for the same reason. No one is without God—without His direction or the spiritual capacity He gives us to overcome any difficulty.

For centuries, God's promises in the Bible have been instrumental in redeeming lives. Here's one that began the successful rehabilitation of my grandfather (he started each morning with it and carried it in his wallet): "Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness" (Isa. 41:10). God did that for my grandfather, and He'll do it for you.

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October 25, 1999

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