Are you sure?
This bookmark will be removed from all folders and any saved notes will be permanently removed.
Your purpose can't be thwarted!
Lately, I have been thinking about the challenges people can face in finding secure, satisfying employment. I’m reminded of a time, years ago, when Christian Science helped me make a radical change of careers. By trusting God to guide me and open the way, I left a job that wasn’t a good fit for my talents or aspirations and found a new career that was more satisfying than anything I could have imagined. In particular, I’ve been remembering a small Christian Science Reading Room with a message in the window that changed my life.
After attending law school, I began practicing real estate law because that was where I found a well-paying job. Looking back, I can see that I let myself be pulled into this job without any clear sense of direction. The money was a big incentive. For about six years, I did legal work for the planning stages of two large, multi-use development projects in Southern California. Bit by bit, I evolved into the project manager, coordinating a large team of land-use planners, engineers, and other consultants.
Eventually the time came when my work on those projects was complete, and I faced being out of a job. There were openings at other real-estate law firms in the area, but I felt strongly that I didn’t want to take that path. The work I’d done had been interesting and challenging, but it wasn’t what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. Plus, I felt conflicted about the trade-off between the benefits of development and the many environmental impacts.
Enjoy 1 free Sentinel article or audio program each month, including content from 1898 to today.
About the author
Schuyler Sackett lives in Brookline, Massachusetts. He works at the Christian Science Reading Room of the First Church of Christ, Scientist (The Mother Church), in Boston.