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Safe choices through God's direction

A Christian Science perspective: Listening for God's guidance can help us make tough decisions.

  • By Stephen Carlson

When people talk about “playing it safe,” they may just be referring to everyday matters such as deciding to carry an umbrella when there’s only a slight possibility of rain. But there are bigger decisions in life – such as the choice of a career path – in which we may feel torn between sticking with the reliable and familiar, and moving in a new direction that seems risky.

When faced with a tough decision, it’s been helpful for me to start with a humble desire to recognize and follow God’s direction. I’ve found it important to acknowledge God as my creator, the all-wise and loving divine Mind who cares for all of us as His children. This has enabled me to see the fulfillment of a promise from the Bible’s book of Proverbs: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths” (3:5, 6, New King James Version).

Being receptive to the inspiration the divine Mind is imparting, and shutting out human will, is prayer that can point us to the most appropriate path. The intuitions that come from God are natural, clear-cut. They feel right. They don’t aggressively push or badger. We’re playing it safe in the highest sense when we listen for, and obey, those intuitions.

Mary Baker Eddy, who discovered Christian Science, once said: “God is the fountain of light, and He illumines one’s way when one is obedient.... Be sure that God directs your way; then hasten to follow under every circumstance” (“Miscellaneous Writings 1883-1896,” p. 117).

Christian Science points to the perpetual harmony of God’s spiritual creation, to the genuine reality of existence, including the true nature of each of us as the intelligently governed image of God, of Spirit. Prayer serves to open our thought to this deeper understanding of ourselves and to its practical expression in our daily lives.

I’ve found that seeking and following divine direction has helped me to feel safe at a deeper level and to take the appropriate path at each stage of my life.

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