Go back to college.

I was surfing yesterday and found this fantastic freebie online. It's for a completely free subscription to Parents magazine. That's pretty cool! I sign up for mine. Get a free subscription to Parents Magazine!

This was an answer to my prayer at a time when I was really poor. I couldn't believe it. I was working at a very low-paying job as a political staffer in Lansing, Michigan. I lived in a small room with so few possessions I could get them all packed into one small duffle. I felt certain I couldn't go to college.

But…I did live only a few blocks from Michigan State University.

My prayer had been, How can I make progress? I had been feeling very alone. I couldn't see if the path I was on would lead anywhere. And the answer was, "Go back to college"? Credits would cost hundreds of dollars each, and I didn't make even one hundred dollars in a week.

I remind myself often of this story from thirty years ago. It makes me certain I can safely invest in good ideas. As I earned my master's, I was adding good ideas to the resume of what I could offer the world. It was an investment that added value to what I could do for others, but in so doing I received so much more than the cost of the initial investment.

Now that I am, how shall I say, established, I still have to decide where to invest my money. God is still my consultant on those issues. The answer to my prayer all those years ago was correct, but it wasn't based on my circumstances as I saw them. God's advice was based on His own unlimited love for me, knowing my needs before I asked for them, guiding me to the infinite good that is reserved for me. In the book I use most to find spiritual ideas that comfort and guide, Science and Health, the author, Mary Baker Eddy, writes, "…to all mankind and in every hour, divine Love supplies all good."

Philanthropist John Templeton said in his book, Worldwide Laws of Life, "The universe holds nothing back from the one who lovingly and sincerely gives. As we become aware of our potential for giving, there is no limit to the good we can receive."

When I prayed to make progress and the answer came to me to go back to college, the value of that barter was clear. Once I mentally invested in the value of what was available to learn, the money showed up.

I serve in several capacities with Save the Children, an international children's organization that invests in children's lives better by making the environment where the children live more valuable. They don't give money to the children, but rather invest in schools, better water supplies, electricity or housing for the community. In this improved environment the children make progress.

One who made lots of money, Henry Ford, said, "If money is your only hope for independence, you will never have it. The only real security that a person can have in this world is a reserve of knowledge, experience, and ability. Without these qualities, money is practically useless."