WHAT can you do if it suddenly seems like you're on your own or at least without the guidance you're used to? Maybe you've just made the change from living at home to attending a university or boarding school. Or maybe you've finished school and are beginning work in a new town. This time of life can seem overwhelming, especially if you're meeting people who see things very differently from you. The backdrop of other people's opinions might tempt you to question yourself, even your whole view of the world. Is there a way to know what's right and to maintain your peace and poise?

Yes, there is. It's simple— but not simplistic. A sure basis for action is contained in the Bible. The Commandments (see Ex. 20:1—17) stem from the truth that there is one God, and He is worthy of our love and obedience above all. The Sermon on the Mount (see Matt., chaps. 5—7) is about the blessings that come through turning to God. These important passages show us that it's important that any action we take be measured against questions such as: "Is this really loving?" "Is this obedient to God's laws?" "Will it help me understand God better?"

God is good. When we're loving and obedient, our thoughts and actions are aligned with God, divine Love. In her Message to The Mother Church for 1902, Mary Baker Eddy states, "When loving, we learn that 'God is Love;'..." (p. 8). Our freedom doesn't come through self-righteousness or a sense of moral superiority; it comes through obedience to God and His laws. When we obey God's laws, which require kindness, honesty, and devotion, we're nurturing a special faculty that we all have—spiritual sense. Spiritual sense reports God's ever-presence and love for us. Spiritual sense, independent of the physical senses, helps us make right decisions in unfamiliar situations, because it reports the truth.

When I finished my schooling, my first job as an opera singer in a theater took me to a foreign country. The situation, the country, the language—everything was unfamiliar. To top it off, I was the youngest and least experienced of the ensemble.

Others singers told me that, because of my innocence and relative inexperience, I wouldn't be given the roles that I should receive. They said people would try to take advantage of me or pick on me. They gave me advice on how to behave that differed greatly from the way I had been taught. The idea that I should behave lovingly suddenly looked silly and naive against this backdrop.

For a while I stopped listening to God and tried doing the things my friends suggested. I coveted leading roles and accepted the mistaken premise that the advancement in my career depended on having a certain number of them. When another singer was scheduled for a prominent part instead of me, I pressed the manager's office to give me more performances. The funny thing was that, on the rare occasions I actually got those parts I had pushed for, they didn't make me feel fulfilled at all. I was beginning to see the wisdom of expressing meekness and of trusting God's purpose and role for me.

In the Sermon on the Mount, we read, "Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth" (Matt. 5:5). Meekness has nothing to do with pressing your will or views on others; it has everything to do with relying on God as all-powerful and following His direction. There are times we need to act or speak boldly, just as Jesus did when he threw the moneychangers out of the temple (see Matt. 21:12, 13). But sometimes it's right to be silent, as when he walked safely through an angry mob that had been intent on throwing him down a him (see Luke 4:28—30).

The day finally came when I decided not push for a larger share of important performances, and resolved to do the very best job I could at expressing God's qualities in whatever roles I was assigned. I stopped thinking that my only opportunity to express good was in a major role. And I was grateful for all the opportunities I did have to express the spiritual qualities of grace, joy, excellence.I felt a deeper, overall satisfaction. My attitude had a harmonizing effect in the dressing room as well.

After I'd abandoned the pushiness in favor of trusting God and following what I knew was right, a guest of the general manager who saw me in a small part singled me out for praise. Not long after that, I was given as many performances of leading roles as I could have wanted—as many as the more experienced singers had gotten! I was enjoying all that I was doing. The next year I moved to another theater where I felt more at home. And, to my surprise, my family moved to the same country, so I didn't have to travel so far to visit them.

The rules to follow—God's rules—stay the same, even as our experiences change. God's rules are not too simple for the situations that confront us or too impossible for us to follow. They belong to adulthood as much as to childhood. They give us strength and point the way to goodness and happiness.