Overcoming Obstacles

DURING college I was advised that the field I was specializing in might be beyond my abilities. Some professors had compared me to other students and managed to convey to me that I was not equal to the work.Eventually, this situation weighed very heavily on me. It was almost overwhelming. I went to a quiet place to find some time to think. In tears I turned to God to lead me in the right direction. "Should I change my studies? Should I go to another school? Isn't there any way I can progress and succeed? These were some of the questions I asked myself. I looked down at my feet, and next to where I stood was a small, thin stem from a new plant growing up out of the ground. Next to it lay a large rock. It was obvious the plant had overcome the rock's barrier to the light simply by growing! This reminded me of an important truth. I began to see that because man is really made after God's likeness, as the Bible teaches, I had the spiritual capacity to grow. I knew that man as God's child is loved and that God wisely governs and directs His children. God's power is always operative. He gave man dominion. He maintains every aspect of man's well-being. This Bible verse from Romans came to thought: "Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good. Christ Jesus consistently overcame evil with good, and that's why it's important that we follow his example. He was in control of his experience because he understood his God-given dominion over evil. As the Gospels indicate, we can begin, through practice of his teachings, to overcome the obstacles that would obstruct spiritual progress. Referring to the need for actual proofs of Christian power, Mary Baker Eddy, the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, writes in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, "This is an element of progress, and progress is the law of God, whose law demands of us only what we can certainly fulfil. Looking to God for help and striving to follow Jesus' example in purer lives, more faithful to our creator, divine Spirit, we naturally progress spiritually. This progression enables us to surmount fear of failure and establishes within us greater peace and dominion. That's because we're coming into greater harmony with God and His healing power. We're actually demonstrating more of our true selfhood with its inherent dominion. Christian Science teaches how to overcome, through prayer, obstacles that may have seemed an immovable part of our experience. Learning more of man's oneness with God, we find the problems we face are curable after all. Even if our progress is modest, we do begin to see that God's law governs man and that it is always in operation for everyone! As I prayed I came to understand how the power of God's law could enable me to overcome the difficulties I was facing. It took a lot of prayer, perseverance, hard work, and spiritual growth. The problem wasn't immediately resolved. But as a result of my efforts along spiritual lines, I was able to prove I was capable of what the course work required. I found that the obstacle that once had me in tears had, under God's law of progression, dissolved.