Relying on God in a ‘do-it-yourself’ world

It’s a busy street. You and the loved child at your side need to cross it. You lean down slightly and ask him to take your hand. “No!” he says, puckering up his face and announcing, “All by myself.” It is clear he wants to cross the busy road without help.

In one way or another we have probably all been that adult – and that child. Some years ago I realized that I regularly insisted on doing almost everything “all by myself.” But this approach truly wasn’t working for me.

I found myself asking how the “all-by-myself” approach squared with Jesus’ profound statement “I can of mine own self do nothing” (John 5:30). Jesus never acted like a stand-alone being, even as a child. Yes, at the age of 12 he left his parents to talk with synagogue elders in Jerusalem. But he clearly saw himself as under God’s control, telling his parents, “I must be about my Father’s business” (Luke 2:49). He later stated, referring to his Christly identity, “I and my Father are one” (John 10:30).

Mary Baker Eddy, discoverer of the spiritual laws she named Christian Science, uses seven synonyms to show the nature and fullness of this divine Father-Mother, God. Divine Mind, one of these names, sheds light on God’s nature in this statement from Mrs. Eddy’s book “Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures”: “All that really exists is the divine Mind and its idea, and in this Mind the entire being is found harmonious and eternal. The straight and narrow way is to see and acknowledge this fact, yield to this power, and follow the leadings of truth” (p. 151).

I thought, How would it be possible to yield to Mind and its idea, and still hold on to the notion of “all by myself”? Well, simply put, it would be impossible. Self-centered human will, human policy, and human actions never lead to God-inspired solutions. Instead, they tend to result in frustration, delay, discouragement, and unhappiness. Since this realization, I’ve been learning to acknowledge that God expresses in me His goodness – in talent, motivation, ability, and accomplishment – just as He does in everyone. I’ve been learning to acknowledge my oneness with God.

One lesson came when I was living in a second-floor walk-up in a big, old Victorian house. I was going to move two wooden cupboards up from the basement, but they were a lot heavier than I had thought they would be. Plus, the basement access included a heavy hatch door and steep stone steps. I managed to wrestle the smaller cupboard to the basement door, but no further. I was stuck.

Then a spiritual perception dawned on me: This was an ideal time to put down the notion of a mind separate from God by yielding to divine Mind’s allness. At once, I saw that God’s child is always in the presence of God. In a moment of humility and expectation, I realized that it would never be possible to do things all by myself. Only through reliance on my divine Father could I accomplish even the smallest activity. What a relief that was!

At that instant, I looked up the steeply sloping steps to see someone walking by outside – my neighbor the weight lifter! He happily came downstairs and carried each cupboard almost effortlessly up to my apartment.

To me, this was no coincidence. Even a modest perception of God’s goodness and power has direct consequences in our everyday experience. The more willing each of us becomes to put down a feeling of working outside of divine Love’s tender care, the more quickly we perceive Christly reality right where we are. By renouncing a sense of self separate from God and yielding to the fact that God is in charge of each of His ideas, we find needed answers and adjustments.

Admitting my need of God and trusting His omnipotence brought not only a resolution to my situation but also a more habitual practice of turning to Him for guidance.

The following counsel by Mrs. Eddy, from her “Miscellaneous Writings 1883-1896,” beautifully summarizes what can develop in our thought, enabling us to let go of an inclination to act without divine help, and making everyday living richer and more enjoyable. She wrote, “Instead of relying on the Principle of all that really exists, – to govern His own creation, – self-conceit, ignorance, and pride would regulate God’s action. Experience shows that humility is the first step in Christian Science, wherein all is controlled, not by man or laws material, but by wisdom, Truth, and Love” (p. 354).

Adapted from an article published in the Oct. 29, 2018, issue of the Christian Science Sentinel.

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