A: It makes no difference whether spiritual direction is given or not given. The Master doesn’t tell us when we should take no thought. We assume that he was saying, “Now take no thought; take no thought now, and find that by taking no thought, that all of these things are added unto you.”
The question that has puzzled many is this: Does that eliminate thinking or planning for our daily living? Of course, it has no relationship to that at all. We must all do that kind of thinking and planning. If you are in the style business, especially women’s styles, you would have to think and plan about next winter’s styles last spring. Of course, you would have to take thought in that direction. It’s getting so now that you have to do the same with men’s styles, they change so often. Certainly, if you have a business, you have to plan for its financing; you have to plan your bank loans and your periods of repayment. Certainly, regardless of what you’re doing today, you have to plan to have your taxes ready when Uncle Sam sends his collector around—or else!
But “taking no thought” does not really apply to such matters. The “taking no thought” has to do with the idea of taking no anxious thought, no worried thought, no fearful thought, because whatever it is you are doing, remember, you are doing it under grace. From the moment that you turn to the Father within you, whether or not you know it, you are under grace, and therefore you are receiving direction, even though you may not recognize it.
You may not recognize that God sent you to this class. You may have some idea that you thought you’d like it, and you just decided to come. Well, have no such ideas, because our meditation work is too carefully done, and those who just idly think they’d like to come find that they do not reach here. Those who reach here have been led, because what they are seeking they are going to find. Therefore, they have been led here by a divine direction, whether or not they know it.
I can remember an instance like that when many, many years ago. I had an annual pain in my ear whenever the cold weather came, especially back along the Great Lakes cities. And I got into New York City one morning and noticed in the paper that one of my very favorite Christian Science lecturers was giving a lecture down at Greenwich Village. I decided, “I think I’d like to hear him again,” and I went down to hear him. Then it was announced that he was going to be up in the Bronx that night—the other end of the city—and I decided, “Well, I think I’d like to go and hear him again.”
Oh, of course you recognize this is all me. “I” would like to do it. “I” will go. It wasn’t that way at all. I went that night, and in the midst of his lecture I heard a loud bang, and from that day to this there has been no more ear trouble. I didn’t decide to go; I was led to go. But there was no voice to say to me, “Joel, I’m sending you to get healed,” or, “I’m sending you to a certain lecture.” But in a mysterious way, I went from one end of the city to the other end of the city to receive the healing that I was undoubtedly due.
So it is. You may not know that you are being directed by God. There is one way you can tell: by the fruitage. You say, “Yes, but by that time it may be too late, if I’m in the wrong direction.” Never fear such things when you are conscientiously on the spiritual path. It is possible to make a mistake, but be assured the mistake will be corrected in plenty of time.
1This excerpt is from Recording 452A: 1962 Mission Inn Closed Class, “Within-ness: God Is Not Temporal Power.” It is posted with kind permission from the Estate of Joel Goldsmith, which holds the copy protection on the recorded classes and the copyright on the transcripts. The full transcript of this recording is available at The Infinite Way Office website or by calling 1-800-922-3195.