A perfect place for you

Have you ever felt so sure you knew what was the right thing for you? Like, you'd be a wonderful choice for a part in the play, or you'd be a great class officer, or of course you belonged on that team.

One time there was something I really wanted. So I did a lot of hoping. I wanted to pray about it, but I wasn't quite sure how to do that. At the time I'd begun to read the Bible every day, and I liked the stories about how God helped people. I remembered one of those stories.

The story was about Jesus when he was facing a very difficult situation. He was praying about it, and he said to God, "Your will be done" (Matt. 26:42). To me it seemed like he was trusting God totally. He was trusting God to take care of him.

I wondered if I could trust God that much. It seemed hard to do. Why was Jesus able to say to God, "Your will be done"? A friend and I puzzled about this question. We finally decided that it was because Jesus knew God, that he could always, always trust His care.

What did Jesus know about God that he could trust Him so totally? He talked about God being his Father, our Father. He knew God was an always-loving Father who knows each of us, loves each of us, and takes care of each of us. Jesus used a simple word picture to describe this: "Even the hairs of your head are all counted" (Matt. 10:30). That was a way to show us that God, really knows us and couldn't forget to take care of us.

Jesus told people that God loves us all. And because God loves us, He never forgets us. He knows what we need and gives us what we need. In fact, it even pleases God to give us everything good. God talks to us by giving us right ideas. Then we understand how to do something new, or where we need to go, or what to say that is just right. God will show us whatever is important for us to know. That's how He takes care of us and makes sure we have what we need.

Jesus said that his work was doing God's work. That's our work, too. We use the talents God gives us. There's always a perfect place for us to be and a perfect thing for us to be doing. That means we'll be a "right fit" in our class, or in an orchestra, or on a team. Then, not only can we use our talents, but we'll be able to grow and develop them, too. And the great thing is that a perfect place for us won't deprive anyone else. There's a perfect place for each of us. We can trust God to show us that place.

When I thought about everything that I knew about God, I was sure I could trust Him as Jesus did. I stopped worrying about getting what I wanted and waited to see how God would take care of me. And, guess what? I didn't get the thing I was so hoping for. But what I did get was a "right fit" for me. And I was completely happy with how everything turned out.

What if you don't get what you were sure you wanted? Don't be disappointed. Maybe it wasn't exactly right for you. You can move on and not look back, wishing, even for a minute. God has a perfect place for you and a perfect thing for you to do. You can completely trust God's will for you and be happy.

...no loss can occur from trusting God with our desires, that they may be moulded and exalted before they take form in words

and in deeds.

Mary Baker Eddy

(founder of the Monitor)