Finding our right place
Wherever we are in life, we can look to God to show us our perfect spiritual identity – whole, productive, and satisfied.
Having recently graduated, many young people are currently making decisions about what to do next. “Thou [God] wilt shew me the path of life” is a scriptural promise we can all rely on in these moments (Psalms 16:11). Divine guidance reveals how to proceed purposefully, making a difference for good – how to be in a “right place,” if you will.
We often express that concept of “right place” in terms of location or organization or relationships – an external right place. And certainly, we are all looking for that experience of external harmony and fulfillment. But in truth, we first find our right place internally. Then our outward experience adjusts.
We discover our right place in spiritual consciousness, by cultivating an ever-deepening sense of who we are as children of God, Spirit – entirely spiritual and purposeful. Spirit creates and maintains our spiritual individuality and calls us continuously into the discovery and expression of who God knows we are. To find that internal right place, it takes asking, “God, who are You causing me to be?” and not starting with trying to figure out where to be or what to be doing.
When we ask in prayer to be shown more of who we are, divine Love answers with inspiration that brings an ever-deepening sense of spiritual identity, goodness, capacity, and worth. And listening to what God is revealing lifts us beyond fear and limitation into more expansive spiritual expression. With clarity about our spiritual identity, it’s natural that we find purposeful external expression of it in where to be, what to do, and with whom.
The founder of Christian Science, Mary Baker Eddy, writes about this in “Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures”: “Love inspires, illumines, designates, and leads the way” (p. 454). Divine Love inspires thought with what we spiritually are. Love illumines the expression of our God-created identity and individuality. And Love designates, leads, and is accompanying us step by step along the way in that expression.
I like to envision this as divine Mind knowing who I am; divine Love revealing who I am; and Soul choreographing the expression of who I am – Mind, Love, and Soul being names for God.
As a student, I thought for sure I knew exactly what I wanted to do, and I worked toward my goal for a number of years. But during that time, I was also beginning to open myself to what it means to listen to God for inspiration and direction. I had a sense that my divine Father-Mother was asking me to quiet my focus on what activities I wanted to do and to listen more to what God was revealing about who I was. A desire to find ways to give meaningfully of myself and not just pursue doing things I enjoyed began to develop.
Sitting in the school library one day, a thought came to go introduce myself to a person I could see walking on the far side of the campus green. It was an unusual thought, but when it came the second time, I got up, ran over, and said hello. I learned who this person was, what they did, and why they were on campus. I knew this was Mind revealing my next steps. Within a few months I was on a similar career path that enabled me to serve others in a fulfilling way.
The work was not easy. Following God’s guidance does not imply a smooth road. But living in that right place with God, spiritually, does mean that when we encounter bumps in the road, we are already open to the divine resources at hand.
In times of transition, it can feel as if there’s pressure to make all the right choices. The thing is, regardless of where we find ourselves, when we listen to God, good, we’re able to grow and give of ourselves meaningfully. And God leads the way to a new environment when needed.
Wherever we are in life, we can open ourselves to moving forward in ways that deeply fulfill divine Love’s calling for us. Trusting the Divine, whose goodness is infinite, relieves the pressure we might feel about making choices. Love answers our prayers to understand who we are, in turn leading us to know what it is ours to do.