God working out a divine purpose in you

I’ve been reading about 50 pages a day in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, in order to catch a better overall vision of Christian Science that Mary Baker Eddy so ably writes about in her book. Every time I do this exercise, I gain a more expansive view of spiritual reality that puts me in a better metaphysical place.

This time, I’ve been struck by a higher order working itself out through my life than any plan I could ever humanly devise.

In Science and Health, Eddy argues that the universe is governed by divine law, or divine Science, as she identifies these laws. These laws have the final say on all matters. Evil submits to them, as Jesus Christ proved, and the final effect of these laws in operation is life in heaven, as she states in many different ways.

As I read, I saw clearly that it’s inevitable that everyone will eventually, through trial or willing acceptance, discover themselves to be made in God’s image, living in heaven. But the trigger thought that got my mental wheels turning was seeing clearly that the human mind can never alter or prevent God’s purpose from being fully realized for each of us. Any human plans we make that deviate from God's plan for our life will be aborted, thwarted, ended or stopped at some point by the higher demand to conform to God's plan.

Whoa…I thought. This means that the human mind has no control over my destiny. God has the control and influence through divine law constantly affecting and influencing my experience to get me to the final realization of spiritual life in heaven.

The little world of “Evan in control,” that I’ve identified with on occasion, suddenly went tipsy-turvy, and landed upside down.

I thought over my human history, and it became increasingly clear that I don’t control my life destiny. A divine purpose has been constantly working itself out through me, and it’s irresistible.

Take my career, for instance. I chose to work in the family business right out of college. It was not meant to be. My human choice was the best I saw at the moment, but it was not where God was taking me. The divine choice was for me to go into the healing practice. At first I resisted, and I suffered. Once I yielded to the divine will, the suffering went away and I thrived in my new profession—my God-appointed profession.

I think about how I found my wonderful wife. I didn’t. God brought her to me and us together through absolutely no human planning on either side.

I think about the individuality expressed through my children. As responsible parents, my wife and I educate, feed, clothe, train, lead and guide them the best we know. But honestly, the individuality they express is vastly greater and grander than anything we could plan out for them. Their unique talents, skills and beautiful qualities of Soul are not the outcome of our own creation. They came from God, the divine Mind that conceived and created them in the first place. We have been bearing witness to what God already put in place.

I thought about success in my practice, and people calling me for help. I can see a power greater than me at work in my professional life, steering me and guiding me. The more I put Evan aside and let God lead the way, the better the results.

The more I looked, the more I saw God’s hand at work in every detail of my life, my family, and my practice. God’s guiding hand was responsible for all the good, not me. It was God working a divine purpose out through me. I certainly participated by yielding. That part is necessary! But God was the source, the cause and the power behind any progressive steps.

The times when I’ve struggled or suffered were times when I resisted the divine purpose or doubted it. But, once again, God always had the final say. Eventually, I would yield to God’s purpose, and the suffering would disappear. I’m still working on this in other ways today! So much more to learn…

God is working the divine purpose out within us all. Christian Science explains what that purpose is and how to live in harmony with it. The quicker we get it and live it the faster our progress. It's inevitable that we all end up where God expects us to be. Many may resist, but the resistance is temporary, and sooner or later, divine law wins.

Jesus yielded to Christ. Jesus totally sacrificed all human ambition, desires and selfish wants for Christ. He said, “I am the way.” In other words, as we give up all human ambition, desires and wants for Christ too, we find the way to Christ, to eternal life.

“Evan needs to fully yield to Christ,” I thought. Wow. This is exciting on one hand, but a bit scary on the other. It requires total yielding of all human planning to the divine Plan--life in Spirit.

As I look back over my human history, I see that all the best stuff has come when I put my plans aside and yielded to God’s plan. And the results have always been good when I did this. So, no need to fear for the future, I can see.

It’s okay to let go of the world and its loves and lusts. There is nothing there to hold on to. All the best life has to offer is in heaven, in Spirit, and God is working within each of us in such a way that we inevitably accept this truth, yield to it, and experience its blessings to the fullest.

There is a higher order at work in the lives of each of us, moving us in a progressive direction and ensuring that we come to a full realization of life in heaven, supreme harmony. Our destiny is in the hands of God. And that is a very good place for it to be!

Your destiny?

Can you relate to this quote that came across my screen yesterday? (With no author to credit)

"The more precisely you plan the harder destiny hits you."

I can think of times in my life when I had every little detail of my future planned out only to discover in due time my plan wasn’t God’s plan, and I had to abruptly change course. And the changes I had to make did not come easy.

Can you relate?

In my high school and college years, I figured my destiny was to become a millionaire. I had my next 40 years all outlined. My mind was made up, and I set my sights, time and energy on achieving my monetary “destiny.”

God had different plans for me though. I was to go into the full-time practice of Christian Science at a young age.

Shortly after graduating from college, it became increasingly apparent that a life devoted to financial gain was not the life for me. I needed a career more Spirit-based to keep me genuinely happy, satisfied and content.

Patients called for help, healings occurred, my practice grew. This was work I loved to do.

But the prospect of devoting my full-time to a spiritual ministry caused seismic upheavals in my thinking.

What about becoming a millionaire? What about building a big house and buying a glitzy sports car? What about saving for an affluent retirement? These goals and desires were rapidly crashing to the ground and smashing to smithereens.

The more I resisted, the unhealthier and unhappier I became. My health started to fail. Strain and stress threw me into bouts of illness until I finally capitulated and readily admitted to myself and God, that God’s plan was the better plan.

I changed course. I dropped my monetary goals entirely and adopted the spiritual direction God was leading me. My health recovered. A deep settled peace took hold, and I’ve increasingly experienced the benefits of being obedient for 20 years since. My “destiny” was not to serve mammon, but to serve God, and the rewards have been immense.

Each of us have a destiny…but it’s not a material future outlined in precise detail by the human mind. Fame, popularity, success, notoriety, money, are all fleeting, empty,--as feathers tossed in the wind,--that do not satisfy in the long run. We all need more. We need to discover and experience our spiritual connection to God. And the divine powers that be are moving us in that direction at all times whether we like it or not.

If we quickly yield and accept the divine plan, we move forward with grace, ease, health and joy.

If we resist, we suffer.

When the divine plan is pressed, like during my awakening to God’s plan for me, what we had outlined in precise detail shatters before our eyes and we believe our world is coming apart. But this is never true. It’s a false and limited view of life that is falling apart and necessarily failing, and the sooner we drop the limited human plan and wholeheartedly embrace the divine, the quicker life comes back together again and we prosper and progress.

"The pains of sense are salutary, if they wrench away false pleasurable beliefs and transplant the affections from sense to Soul, where the creations of God are good, "rejoicing the heart." Such is the sword of Science, with which Truth decapitates error, materiality giving place to man's higher individuality and destiny." Mary Baker Eddy