Moving forward – at Love’s urging

My husband and I had moved from our home in a small college town in Colorado to a large city four months earlier. Here, there were no vast, bluebird skies. Instead it seemed all gray, all the time – tall gray buildings, a gray ocean, and gray highways that winter. Our commute was long and our workdays were even longer.

I had wanted to contribute to work that felt meaningful. But the thought came that perhaps we should just go home. I could happily imagine returning to our small town, where everybody knows your name. “Done,” I said. And I drafted a resignation letter to my employer.

But that was when inspiration from God intervened. The words “Try the spirits whether they are of God,” in the Bible, whispered in my heart (I John 4:1).

Hmm. Feelings of dissatisfaction, disappointment, criticism, or lack are not God’s language for guiding and directing our next steps. God, divine Love, communicates to and expresses in His children only what’s good and loving.

With that, all thoughts of running back to what was familiar and easy dissipated. I didn’t want to go anywhere that God wasn’t leading us. We’d been led through prayer to that big city and the opportunities it held for serving others. There was no going back out of dissatisfaction.

This wasn’t a willful decision; it came naturally as we recognized that God would never use feelings like fear to motivate us. As we started dismissing those dissatisfaction-impelled voices, this made space to let divine Love motivate our desires and actions. Our days became full of fresh purpose – and our city years were full of exploration and enrichment.

Then, one day, our projects were completed. We had satisfied our commitments, and new opportunities for serving others back home in Colorado blossomed. We felt in our hearts that it was time to return.

When we let God, good, guide us rather than agitation or frustration, then – wherever we may go – we’re not “going back.” We’re going forward, at Love’s urging.

Adapted from the Aug. 29, 2022, Christian Science Daily Lift podcast.