The path to a more purposeful life
When we honestly desire to better understand God and to reflect His goodness in what we think and do, this opens the door to opportunities to do so in fresh and meaningful ways – as a man experienced when circumstances prompted a career change.
How can I find more meaning in my life? Where is my right place? What should I be doing with my time? These are important questions.
It’s natural to hunger for a deeper sense of purpose. In fact, as God’s spiritual offspring, we have a divine purpose: to express the wonderful qualities of God. “Ye are the light of the world,” Christ Jesus said. “A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.... Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 5:14, 16).
Here’s an analogy I’ve found helpful in putting this into practice. Have you ever stood on a riverbank and observed the surface of the water flowing by? The ripples and eddies are endlessly changing. Yet if you step back a few paces, the river appears uniform, unchanging.
Similarly, God is constantly revealing to us new perspectives, new lessons, new understanding – yet is ever true, good, and harmonious. As the Bible explains, God’s “very good” creation – including each one of us as His spiritual offspring – is complete (see Genesis 2:1). So what appears as new is simply the revealing to our consciousness of another facet of the fullness of this infinite universe. “There is but one creator and one creation,” explains Mary Baker Eddy, the discoverer of Christian Science. “This creation consists of the unfolding of spiritual ideas and their identities, which are embraced in the infinite Mind and forever reflected” (“Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures,” pp. 502-503).
We’re all inherently capable of glimpsing, through prayer, more of the spiritual universe, and of our identity as God’s children. And as we do, we become more aware of any ingrained habits or beliefs that may be adversely influencing our thinking by arguing that we can be separated from God, good.
Redirecting thought toward the infinite divine Mind – the source of all being, meaning, and harmony – is effective prayer that helps us better perceive our niche in life and how to fulfill it.
A number of years ago, after a dozen years working in a particular field, I began to yearn for a new career direction. I didn’t know exactly what I should be doing, but like a seed, this desire persistently grew in my heart. Then I was unexpectedly laid off from my job.
For several months leading up to this, I had been exploring many different churches and religions – a spiritual quest that led me to the healing truth of Christian Science, which helped me understand more about God as ever-present, all-powerful Love, Truth, and Principle – and about myself as God’s flawless, spiritual reflection.
Through prayer I began leaning more on God for direction and encouragement. Old views and unhelpful tendencies started to slip away. The insights and strength I gained from my prayers were invaluable as I grappled with rejection letters, discouraging counsel from colleagues, and many long months with no visible progress. I felt confident that God had a plan for me, and that I could never be without opportunities to live the wonderful qualities God expresses in each of His children.
One day the right job did find me, seemingly by chance, though I quickly realized there was nothing random about it. It was clear that God had been quietly preparing me for this next step years before the thought of it ever occurred to me. Over the next three decades, my new career allowed me to play a key role in helping organizations serving millions of people worldwide, and for this I am most grateful.
Regardless of how it is ultimately manifested in our daily experience, God’s purpose for each of us is to understand and reflect Him in everything we think, say, and do. Each day we can listen for new and higher ways to fulfill this mission, to increasingly demonstrate the divine power and Christly values in every aspect of our lives.
Expressing these Godlike qualities in our thoughts and actions is a practical and authentic way to “be the children of your Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 5:45), and thus to realize more of the purpose, holiness, and harmony God has in store for each of us, right here and now.