Finding Your Place
AS I circled the interior of a large multistory car park, my ten-year-old daughter suddenly piped up with words from a song from the musical, West Side Story: ``There's a place for us, / Somewhere a place for us.'' Within seconds a slot appeared and we drove into it! Now of course, it is very handy to find a parking space when you need one. But it isn't always so easy to find your place in life--especially when you're young. But you do have a place, and God will show you how to find it.
The Bible assures us in the book of Acts that, as children of God, it is ``in him we live, and move, and have our being.'' Each idea of God is always held in its right place--and that includes you and me. The spiritual fact is that each of us has a place to flourish and contribute, and this is provable in our everyday life.
Each individual is an important, in fact, essential part of God's creation. How can that be? You are the very outcome, or evidence, of His being. Just as without the sun's rays we wouldn't know there was a sun, and without the sun there would be no rays of light, so is each idea necessary to represent what God is, to show forth His qualities. As each of us acknowledges and lives the truth that man's being is spiritual, the reflection of God, we're able to see more clearly just the place God has for us to
fill.
There is, then, something you can do if you need help deciding what comes next. First of all, don't forget that God loves you. After all, He made you to show forth His wonderful qualities in your own special, distinct way. Because He loves you as His child, He has only progress and good in store for you. Just as a tailor measures a new coat for his customer, so each part of the garment of God's purpose for you is carefully measured and cut to fit.
Recently I was looking at rows of potted plants outside a shop that were waiting to be bought and planted in their own garden niche. I was struck by the beauty of each one. No two were the same. And each had its own soil, light, and air space. This just hints at the fact that each spiritual idea--including you--has its own support, space for development, progress, and joy in God. As we trust God with our next steps, trust that He knows what He's doing (and we can because He is all-wise and all-loving), w e are less anxious about the wisdom of His plan for His children. We are willing to give up insisting that things go our way. We accept His infinite good and look forward to seeing just how His good plan will be made practical in our lives. Christ Jesus showed us how to do this.
It may be that you can't go in the direction you had expected, but don't flap. That slot for your next steps--spiritual and practical--is already established. Open your thought to it now. Acknowledge it. And remember that because God is good and gives only good to His creation, what He has for you is far better than anything you could imagine.
Because each individual includes, right now, the right ideas of opportunity, purpose, place, and activity, your next steps of spiritual advancement are not at risk by competition. Each idea is held in it's right place, so how could you ever be taking someone else's spot, or someone else be taking yours or even want to? We have our own niche, just for us. Mary Baker Eddy, the Founder of the Christian Science Church points out in her book Retrospection and Introspection: ``Each individual must fill his own
niche in time and eternity.''
As you think about and make plans for your next human footsteps, be alert to throw out negative ``no space for me'' thoughts and enjoy expecting the good God has in store for you.
