I had just left my daughter’s bedroom, when I heard her say, “Oh no, oh no.” I quickly returned to her room. Amanda was rummaging through her gym bag. She anxiously repeated: “They’re gone, I just know it. My rings!” I hugged her and reassured her that she could trust God’s care under all circumstances and that nothing could be lost or stolen.

She had gone to work out at a gym and had placed the two rings on her phone case in the changing room. Later, she left the gym with her phone and other personal items, but she was home for over an hour before she realized she didn’t have her rings.

I shared with my daughter a verse from Proverbs that had caught my attention that day. “The horse is prepared against the day of battle: but safety is of the Lord” (21:31). I explained that our battle was to not be tempted to believe that anyone would want to take something that didn’t belong to them. Our safety and everyone’s safety would be to trust God alone.

I suggested that she call the gym and inquire if someone had returned the rings to the front desk. She called several times, but no one answered. With tears in her eyes, she said: “I know the rings are gone. How could I be so careless?” 

I responded: “Please don’t condemn yourself. God loves you right now as much as She did while you were at the gym. Nothing has changed. God’s man is honest. If you found something that didn’t belong to you, I know you would immediately return it. This spiritual law is a fact, and we are proving it.” I then suggested that we drive to the gym.

As my daughter drove, I continued praying. I thought of Jesus’ promise, “All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them” (Matthew 7:12). I knew in my heart that everyone involved in this experience would follow this spiritual law and promise. It was natural and normal to be honest. 

I also prayed with an idea in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy: “… Mind measures time according to the good that is unfolded. This unfolding is God’s day …” (p. 584) Sometimes we are tempted to believe God is absent in certain situations and present on other occasions. We begin to learn through the study of Christian Science of the allness of God, good, and I knew that the continuity of good could not be interrupted.

As she drove along, Amanda asked me to call the gym since she hadn’t been able to reach anyone earlier. I called and when an employee answered, I explained that my daughter had left two valuable rings in the women’s section. The woman said the rings had not been turned in and she offered to search that area. 

I thanked her and said we’d be there in ten minutes. This was a sacred ten minutes for me and my daughter. As we prayed silently, I could feel God’s loving presence. My daughter’s demeanor changed. She was relaxed and peaceful.

When we arrived, Amanda asked me to remain in the car. She wanted me to check for the rings underneath the seat. For a moment, my “human-mother pride” spoke within me and said: “Only I can find these missing rings. I need to be the one who goes inside.” Thankfully, these momentary thoughts left and were replaced with a message directly from God, the true Mother. 

I realized I had to allow God to direct everyone involved. I also needed to be obedient to my daughter’s request. Like me, she had been praying for the last ten minutes, and she felt impelled by divine Love to go inside alone. 

In just a few minutes, Amanda returned, beaming! She had both rings on her finger. The employee had found the rings on the exercise room floor. 

Amanda thanked our Father-Mother God, joyfully saying: “Praise God! Thank you, God, and thank you, Mom!” She then added, “If you hadn’t been praying all the time, I’m not sure we would have recovered them.” 

We talked about how important it is to pray without ceasing—basically to face each challenge with a pure and receptive heart—not to react or to be tempted into believing that man is anything but honest, good, and sincere. We then exchanged ideas on what the rings represented—qualities such as friendship, loyalty, integrity, love, forgiveness, compassion. We both agreed that all these qualities are spiritual and come from God. They could never be lost or taken away. 

Louise Alder
Plymouth, Massachusetts, US