Decisions and the Sixth Tenet Factor

Roger Gordon - Christian Science Sentinel, Aug. 6, 2007

Recently, I’ve been looking at the tenets of Christian Science in a fresh way. More than just a set of rules, I’ve found, the tenets grant opportunities to really get in tune with God. As I’ve thought about them, it seems to me that the central message of the tenets is to know, feel, and love God supremely. These important points simply prepare my thought to reflect God’s thoughts. And they are all about gaining a higher and holier state of consciousness, which heals instantaneously. The last tenet in particular is a promise that can bring great rewards: “And we solemnly promise to watch, and pray for that Mind to be in us which was also in Christ Jesus; to do unto others as we would have them do unto us; and to be merciful, just, and pure”(Science and Health, p. 497). This helps us feel God in our lives and provides guidance in making good decisions. Consciously living this tenet helped me know God in such a comforting way—one that eventually led me to make a good decision in my life.

Months ago, as I prepared to graduate from college, I was waiting for acceptance letters for grad school. One afternoon, I ran to the campus mailbox to check my mail for the third time that day. There in my box, finally, was a letter. I ripped it open. Before I could blink, I saw the words, “We regret to inform you . . . .” I’d been rejected—again.

I was so sure graduate school was my next step because I didn’t want to take time off after college like some of my classmates. The plan was to plow straight through and earn my MFA by the time I turned 25. But now, with another rejection letter in hand, I felt that my dream would not come true. Every school I’d applied to had turned me down. And with just a few months left before graduation, I didn’t know what I would do after I got my diploma. A decision had to be made: find a job or move home. I wanted to continue living and working on my own. At the same time, without an MFA, I didn’t consider myself qualified for many of the positions in the field that I was interested in, and didn’t want to settle for a job that would leave me uninspired. As I typically do with most challenges that come my way, I reached out to God in prayer for guidance. I tried to put aside my pride and listened to hear God’s will for me. But no immediate answers came. I couldn’t understand why I wasn’t receiving an answer, because I remembered experiences when I had strongly felt God’s presence and direction. And I’d learned that God was omnipresent. Where was He now? I just couldn’t seem to hear His voice. Stubbornly set on my next step, I found it difficult to quiet my will and hear God’s guidance. I felt lost.

But there was something else at work. I’ll call it the “Sixth Tenet Factor.” For some time, I’d been thinking about this tenet in my prayers—not in conjunction with my search for a job but simply for the benefit of spiritual growth. I’d repeated it out loud so many times before—in church meetings, in Sunday School, as grace before meals. But now I was relating to it on a deeper level. The simple message in this tenet, which includes the Golden Rule in the Bible (see Matt. 7:12), really hit home. I reasoned that by obeying the Golden Rule, I automatically adopted, to a degree, the Mind that was in Christ Jesus. By loving my neighbor as myself, I saw, I could only grow closer to God, moment by moment.

As I thought more about the sixth tenet, I saw in myself a growing desire to reach out to others in my college community in ways that expressed the love of Christ. In other words, I wanted to live the tenet, rather than repeat it as an empty prayer every now and then. Although I didn’t immediately realize that praying with this tenet could help with my job search, I soon discovered that my prayers were assisting with decision-making in all aspects of my life.

Living this tenet came about in simple ways at first, such as listening to friends and offering them comfort in times of need. For example, during one of my classes, a classmate who appeared to be stressed half-jokingly requested that popcorn be brought to class the following week. Usually, I would have just ignored a comment like that, but my new desire to reach out and express more love impelled me to buy a bag of popcorn for her. She was surprised and grateful that someone had done something nice for her, and even seemed a little more relaxed. I was amazed at the power that such a simple act of kindness held.

Following the sixth tenet also helped me handle schoolwork. With each project, I made it a goal to see that the project would bless everyone who was involved. With this as my motive, the quality ofmy work improved dramatically. I was able to excel at projects that I’d deemed too challenging and daunting at the beginning of the semester. When others were involved with my work, they sincerely thanked me for my contribution, and I was able to thank them for theirs. As I gradually lived more of the Christ-love as best I could, my thinking completely transformed. I felt a newfound and amazing sense of peace, happiness, and wonder for God’s creation, which came through my budding relationship with God. This spiritual sense enabled me to see, a little more clearly,God’s view of the world. I realized that if the tenets of Christian Science align our thinking with God,we’re thinking in a Christianly scientific manner. Then our decisions must naturally be guided by God—by wisdom,or Principle itself. When we rest on this Principle for direction, the outcome is always harmonious. God’s view of His creation, which already includes mercy, justice, and purity, is present right where hatred, injustice, and turmoil seem to be the only reality. And as we see God’s view, we see the truth and therefore can look at any situation through the lens of pure good. Living the sixth tenet brought my thinking a little closer to the scientific view of God’s awe-inspiring creation. By praying for the Mind of the Christ to be present in me, and by living the Golden Rule,my thoughts began to reflect divine wisdom. On this basis, I was thinking correctly. And I enjoyed a renewed sense of feeling God’s presence in my life. I felt faith in God’s guidance and stopped panicking about my future. Soon, I was led to accept a job working with young people that I hadn’t even thought about before. And it all came about so naturally. It was almost as if no big, “serious” decision needed to be made at all! Although this job wasn’t in the field I’d studied in college, that didn’t matter to me. Now, my workdays are filled with opportunities for spiritual growth, and I’m learning that the rewards of living our prayers are great.

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