God’s good plan for us
Who among us hasn’t wondered, at one time or another, “What’s next?” Sometimes we may feel that our lives are going great and that we have things all figured out. Other times we might hope for a change but aren’t sure what it will be or how it will happen. Or we might feel totally lost or uncertain about the future.
At one point in my professional life, a particular job opening caught my eye. I was enjoying my current work, but at the same time, I simply felt drawn to this other position. So I made some initial inquiries. One thing led to another, and I ended up receiving a job offer.
Whether to accept it or stay in my current job seemed a difficult choice. There were some key differences between the two options, and I deeply wanted to make the right choice. But even as I assessed the pros and cons of each, I honestly didn’t know which that was.
Throughout my life I have seen that turning to God is helpful in all kinds of circumstances, so I took that approach with this one, too. But I wasn’t praying for God to give me some sort of epic career boost. I was praying to better understand something I’d learned in Christian Science: that God, the divine Mind, knows only good for His creation, which includes each of us, His spiritual children. This divine goodness can’t be clouded or hindered. It’s our very birthright, and it’s upheld by God, not a particular job or other activity.
So I stopped putting so much emphasis on my lists of pros and cons, and instead turned my thought to God, acknowledging that He is all good, all-loving, and in control of His creation. And you know what? With that shift of thought, the pressure of trying to make the right decision lifted. I could tangibly feel God’s love and care just wrapping me up. And I realized that no matter what, the spiritual fact is that I can never be separated from that limitless good.
Christ Jesus prayed in the Lord’s Prayer, “Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10). By his own example, Jesus taught us to maintain faith that each of us truly does have an established place, which is always good. He was able to demonstrate such faith because of his understanding of God as the ever-present, all-powerful Mind, and of our relation to God as His spiritual reflection, or expression, forever cared for by divine Love.
The spiritual interpretation of the Lord’s Prayer in “Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures” by Mary Baker Eddy, the discoverer of Christian Science, gives this sense of the line quoted previously: “Enable us to know, – as in heaven, so on earth, – God is omnipotent, supreme” (p. 17). God’s laws of harmony and love are in effect right now for all of us. We can never be exempt from that good. We are subject to no other “plan.”
As I considered this simple assurance, I felt overcome with a wholehearted trust in God and a sense of peace about the imminent decision. I still didn’t know what the answer would be, but how to move forward – what questions to ask, and of whom – suddenly became very clear. Ultimately, I accepted the job offer. Every transitional step along the way happened smoothly, and it became evident that this decision was not just a good path for me, but helpful to others as well.
God’s plan for all of us, His precious children, is universally and eternally good. As we truly yearn to understand this spiritually established plan, we come to trust it more and more, and we increasingly see evidences of God’s goodness in our lives – even in unforeseen ways.
Adapted from an article in the May 25, 2015, issue of the Christian Science Sentinel.
