Have you ever indulged "if only" thinking? Many people do every day. They do it when they think that circumstances can obstruct their progress and rob them of purpose. "If only this or that were different"—so the reasoning goes—"I'd be satisfied."

Such thinking would blind us to opportunities and distract us from our real purpose: to distinctively express God right where we are. "Let your light so shine before men," Christ Jesus urged, "that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." ^{Matt. 5:16;}

You may argue that there is no present outlet for your talent. But ask yourself: Am I telling God what I would like to do, or am I really listening for His direction and looking for opportunities to carry it out? Am I expressing God's qualities selflessly in all that I do right now?

"A lost opportunity," Mrs. Eddy tells us, "is the greatest of losses." And further on our Leader says: "If the reliable now is carelessly lost in speaking or in acting, it comes not back again. Whatever needs to be done which cannot be done now, God prepares the way for doing; while that which can be done now, but is not, increases our indebtedness to God. Faith in divine Love supplies the ever-present help and now, and gives the power to 'act in the living present.'" ^{The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany, p. 12;}

Through acknowledging man's oneness with God now, we see that the envy and self-pity of the "if only" syndrome are not of God, and so no part of His reflection, man. They can have no control over us when we let Christian Science show us that divine Mind is the only intelligence. Reflecting Mind's wisdom, we discern "that which can be done now" and the way to do it.

This way might not be one we had outlined—or even thought of. Fresh desire to serve God right where we are has a way of opening up new and unexpected channels for letting our light shine. Previously unrecognized resources for doing good become apparent. The Mind that imparts all useful ideas also supplies us the initiative to put these ideas into action at the right time.

The fact that man reflects God, omniactive Life, assures man's usefulness and purposeful activity. God is Soul, ordering every detail of His creation. In this perfect order there are no conflicts or rivalries. Every idea of Mind develops uniquely and in harmony with every other idea. Living in the light of this truth, keeping our motives pure, we will find that others cannot impede our progress, nor can what we do hurt them.

Declaring daily our oneness with God as His expression, and living the attributes of His nature throughout our day, bring real freedom. On the other hand, looking for self-fulfillment on a merely human level, wanting to do our "own thing" at all costs, craving personal recognition—all these attitudes argue that we have a self-assertive ego separate from God.

Claiming our inseparability from God and acting accordingly, we can remove the restrictions that finite, egotistical thinking would place on us. Then we begin to realize our full potential for good.

"Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart," ^{Ps. 37:4.} the Psalmist declares. When we reach a point where we're delighted to serve God and really want to express Him in all we do, we'll no longer be concerned about what the world thinks of us—or whether anyone thinks about us personally at all!

Egotism and self-will with their "I wants" may seem tenacious, but they have never been a part of the real man. When we persist in claiming our true individuality as immortal ideas of God, our light shines increasingly brighter. Whatever we do in life, broadening of our horizons is inevitable, and the joy of glorifying God is true satisfaction.