©Cynthia Clague
We all have an amazing power available to us. It’s the power of decision. When we make a decision with our whole heart, it sets into motion resources and events that could never otherwise be accessed. “Your decisions will master you, whichever direction they take,” 1 writes Mary Baker Eddy. The best decisions lead to positive life-altering possibilities.
She also writes,“To live so as to keep human consciousness in constant relation with the divine, the spiritual, and the eternal, is to individualize infinite power; and this is Christian Science.” 2 When we decide to do this, we put the infinite power of goodness at our disposal.
Understanding that this power of right decision is the power of the divine Mind, God, and that it belongs to each of God’s children as they reflect this Mind, makes every action and thought count.
The Bible was written so that everyone could learn about how to do this. Every character and story in the Bible illustrates either how to connect with the divine power of goodness or what happens if you fail to do so. It is all about people’s decisions and the good or bad consequences of these decisions. For instance, the widow of Zarephath understood this.
The country was in the midst of a severe drought. Resources were few. The widow was in dire straits, getting ready to cook the last tiny bit of her food and then die with her son. But she must have been praying diligently. When Elijah, the prophet of God, came upon her gathering sticks to cook her last meal, he requested that she put him first, that she give of her precious resources to make a meal for him first. She made a snap decision with her whole heart. Intellectually it was a crazy choice. But morally and spiritually it was the foundation of permanent release from lack.
She chose to live as if she had abundant resources right at hand, to live on earth as in heaven. This heavenly decision set in motion not only unlimited support for her and her son, but also for the prophet Elijah. This illustrates the power of decision. And her example is still with us today, showing us the value of commitment to what we know and care about.
1. Science and Health page 392 2. First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany, page 159
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