Out of Crime's Way
A RECENT conversation turned to talk about the blatant crime in our city. One of our guests remarked on how sad it is that people are afraid of being accosted even on their way to work in broad daylight.
Those of us who work and live in metropolitan areas aren't the only ones who need to feel physically secure. And there is something all of us can do to feel, and be, safe. We can understand what really constitutes individual safety. It's vital to our peace of mind and freedom of action to know that we are actually never apart from God, the almighty Father. He keeps His entire creation, including us, safe.
The first verse of the ninety-first Psalm sets forth a solid basis for security in these comforting words: "He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I love that image of having a spiritually secure "secret place right in God's shadow. And an understanding of man's spiritual selfhood, a recognition of our unity with God, man's loving Father, enables us to find that "secret place and dwell in it.
Christian Science shows us that the real man is spiritual, not material--not bound by circumstances or at the mercy of human events. God's child--our genuine identity--is blessed with unceasing support and guidance. He exists at the standpoint of perfect peace, uninvadable harmony. And man is never, not even for one moment, deprived of his Father's loving care, never out of "the secret place of spiritual security. But to make these spiritual facts practical, we have to claim this divine sonship and expre ss its implications in Christian living.
Christ Jesus' conviction of being inseparable from his Father empowered him to demonstrate his dominion over evil. This is indicated by Jesus' words, recorded in John's Gospel: "He that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone. And as we follow his example to the best of our ability, we, too, can rely on God's powerful protection. Jesus showed beyond a doubt that the Father never leaves us alone or unprotected; He keeps us continuously secure in His omnipotent care.
This isn't to suggest that we can blithely go about our daily activities unmindful of circumstances that would threaten our safety. We need to obey God's guidance in every aspect of our lives if we're to take the right steps to avoid danger in the first place. Staying safe involves listening for God's directing right through the day.
And in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy, the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, assures us: "The history of Christianity furnishes sublime proofs of the supporting influence and protecting power bestowed on man by his heavenly Father, omnipotent Mind, who gives man faith and understanding whereby to defend himself, not only from temptation, but from bodily suffering.
Included in this understanding is the reassuring fact that as offspring of the all-wise, all-directing, and all-seeing divine Mind, you and I continuously respond to God's unerring direction. We therefore have the wisdom and judgment necessary to stay out of crime's way. As we abide in God, divine Love, we have the constant support of the Father throughout our daily activities. Claiming this God-given dominion enables us to fulfill our responsibilities in confidence, freedom, fearlessness.
This practical understanding of man's unity with God is available to anyone. And prayer empowers each of us to conduct his or her life without inhibiting fear and uncertainty. Through prayer and Christlike living, we gain the wonderful assurance of being safe--wherever we are.
