Several months ago, as I arrived home in the late afternoon, I heard the phone ringing. On the line was a representative from my bank informing me that there had suddenly been high activity on my debit card.

As we spoke, I reached into my purse and discovered that my wallet was gone. My heart sank. I was so alarmed that I inadvertently hung up on the caller. Fortunately, the bank put an immediate stop on the debit card. In those few seconds I knew that I had to make a choice about how I was going to address this situation, and as is my usual custom, I chose Christian Science.

The first things that entered my consciousness were two sentences from the Bible: “Lay not this sin to their charge” (Acts 7:60) and “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34). I did not wish the individual involved to suffer as a result of this apparent thievery.

On the heels of this was another forceful command: “Do not allow yourself to be a victim.” The “Rule for Motives and Acts” in the Church Manual by Mary Baker Eddy came to thought. It states, in part: “In Science, divine Love alone governs man; and a Christian Scientist reflects the sweet amenities of Love, in rebuking sin, in true brotherliness, charitableness, and forgiveness” (p. 40). Then I felt impelled to say aloud, with the thief in thought, “I give you my wallet.” In other words, I was choosing not to identify myself as a victim.

Supporting this declaration was a statement by Mrs. Eddy in Science and Health. She wrote: “Jesus beheld in Science the perfect man, who appeared to him where sinning mortal man appears to mortals. In this perfect man the Saviour saw God’s own likeness, and this correct view of man healed the sick” (pp. 476–477).

If the lens we use for looking at our world is divine Science, which continuously reveals God as Love, we will see only good wherever our gaze rests.

I realized that I had no alternative but to forgive this individual and to see him or her in the Christly terms Mrs. Eddy was pointing out. From this, I immediately gained a deeper understanding of what forgiveness truly is. To me it meant forgiving myself for believing that an all-loving God could create a sinful man. A great wave of compassion came over me for the individual who had taken my wallet, and I was able to release everything to divine Love’s care.

After about four hours, I had been assured that no more charges could be made to my accounts, and I would not be responsible for any of the charges that had been made. I was able to enjoy a good night’s rest.

The next morning, armed with the previous day’s powerful, healing ideas, I prayed for the wisdom to know exactly how to proceed in order to finish rectifying the situation. In precise order, each step unfolded perfectly, and everyone I talked with was supremely helpful and loving, some of them even offering to take on pieces of the work for me so that I could go on to the next task.

During the days that followed as I completed the restoration process, I gave much prayerful thought to the subject of identity—that it could never be stolen or eclipsed in any way. Science and Health expresses this beautifully: “The divine Mind maintains all identities, from a blade of grass to a star, as distinct and eternal” (p. 70). Another statement from the book was also helpful: “[Man] is the compound idea of God, including all right ideas” (p. 475). I could clearly see that, in Truth, because both the so-called villain and the victim are lacking no good thing in the eye of the great I AM, no thievery could spiritually have ever taken place.

Two weeks later, as I was talking with a friend, telling her what I had been thinking about the wallet incident—that I had actually mentally “given” the wallet to the individual so as not to be a victim—the mail with its letters, newspapers, and magazines fell through the door slot. There was a thumping sound, and a small, rectangular package in a postmarked envelope, addressed in rather juvenile handwriting, landed at my feet.

As I opened the package, I suddenly knew it was my wallet. I will never be able to describe the feeling of joy I felt when I saw it again. Although the cash, cards, driver’s license, etc., had been removed, precious family photos, a lovely ballpoint pen, and several other items that I had forgotten about were still intact. I sincerely believe that whoever had taken the wallet had somehow felt the love that had embraced them and had responded to it.

At that time I realized I had been remiss in often rather flippantly exclaiming that “my whole life was in my wallet.” I had also been allowing the thought that probably the most awful thing that could ever happen to me would be to lose my wallet. It was now clear that my life was in Life, Spirit, Good, and nowhere else. For my part, the wallet has become a symbol of the efficacy of Christian Science, and of the important lessons I learned from this experience.

I was able to prove that one’s viewpoint certainly does determine the view—always and in all ways. If the lens we use for looking at our world is divine Science, which continuously reveals God as Love, we will see only good wherever our gaze rests. I discovered that my refusal to be a victim ensured that a villain could not exist. Forgiveness is something we give to ourselves, and then naturally and inevitably experience outwardly as the kingdom of heaven on earth.