Dealing with accidents

FREQUENTLY we hear of people being described as ``accident prone.'' We hear of superstitions about the frequency and timing of mishaps. Sometimes people complain that a day just isn't going right, that random, irritating incidents are disrupting its smooth running. The assumption that life is at the mercy of chance, fate, astrological signs, or whatever, needs to be challenged. For our own peace of mind and the general welfare, we should examine seriously what we are accepting as influencing our lives. When faced with the mental and physical effects of a car accident recently, I was impelled to do some thought searching to find out what I really believed governed my life. While the effects of this accident weren't serious, there was distress, fear, and some discomfort, as well as inconvenience because of damage to the car. I needed a release, and I sought it by endeavoring to gain a clearer sense of my relationship to God. I knew from experience that the key to freedom lay in this direction. I based my prayer on the account of creation given in the first chapter of the Bible. The account reveals a creation that is perfect and orderly. It reveals God's power and goodness, which exclude any vestige of a universe prone to disasters. I strove to see more clearly that the only forces are good, spiritual forces, originating from God. I affirmed that there is only one, divine influence, directly governing man. I knew from previous experiences that as we let the might of God's presence enter thought, the clamor of materialistic thinking yields to His power, and the joy and harmony of His laws control our lives. I denied the misconception that life is made up of fickle, random events; I saw it more clearly as God's gift, unfolding with grace and order, reflecting the qualities of God, which are never disrupted or destroyed. This line of thought brought peace. Condemnation, resentment, and fear were eradicated, and the physical discomfort vanished. The spiritual creation of man and the universe was not a haphazard event, and the infinitely loving creator does not abandon His creation. His sustaining, cherishing love is always with us. His control is unassailable. The moral and divine laws, so clearly stated in the Bible, provide an invaluable guide for conducting our lives. As we accept and practice these laws, we become less susceptible to chance or accident. The moral laws contained in the Ten Commandments are indispensable to our well-being and to accepting and understanding the precepts taught by Christ Jesus. As these moral and spiritual laws are obeyed, they strengthen our trust in good. Character traits such as carelessness, self-will, impatience, disobedience, which may seem to cause accidents, are exposed and can be dealt with. We gain a clearer view of our true spiritual nature. God's government becomes an accepted part of our lives. The inspiring examples of the great Bible characters, who so wholeheartedly trusted God, are well worth contemplating too. They refused to be taken in by threats of disaster and disorder. We can realize, as the Psalmist did, that ``it is God that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect.'' 1 We can align our thoughts and lives with God's perfect government, realizing our inseparability from Him and refusing to be intimidated by uncertainty. Accidents are no part of God's orderly creation. A succinct paragraph in the Christian Science textbook, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy,2 sheds light on this subject, providing helpful guidance: ``Accidents are unknown to God, or immortal Mind, and we must leave the mortal basis of belief and unite with the one Mind, in order to change the notion of chance to the proper sense of God's unerring direction and thus bring out harmony.'' 3 1 Psalms 18:32. 2 The Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science. 3 Science and Health, p. 424.