In December 1998 I was told that my job would no longer be available to me. I could either go back to a position working on the equipment, or I could take a per diem assignment as a customer quality engineer until I finished my degree. There was truly no choice to be made. If I went back, I would be giving up on the work I had done to become a full-time engineer for the company. If I agreed to take the other assignment, I would have to work in another plant, where I knew no one, did not know the product line, and would have an entirely new set of customers and complaints. My fear of facing so much that was new was overwhelming. But after a lot of prayer and help from a Christian Science practitioner, I agreed to take the new assignment.

I slowly began moving my belongings from one plant to the other, but the joy I'd felt in my old job did not come with me. The fear stayed with me, and I felt resentment from new co-workers. I thought that they didn't want me as part of their team, and I didn't care to be a part of their group.

As the months passed, I continued to pray, still feeling out of place. The message came to me that it was not the job, the new boss, or the plant that had me so unsettled. It was my own way of thinking that needed to be corrected. I had been so wrapped up in the way we did things in the old plant and the way I wanted to handle things in the new plant, that I had criticized and condemned all those around me. I had let negative thoughts cover God's light. Once I realized this, I found direction in Mary Baker Eddy's words that it's wise to "square accounts with each passing hour" (Message to The Mother Church for 1902, p. 17). This meant to me that when a thought comes to mind that is not Godlike, it needs to be thrown out.

This was a humbling experience.

In the spring of 1999, I learned about a position in another city and considered relocating. I prayed, "Thy will be done," and humbly sent in the application. I struggled, however, with the prospect of leaving my two grown sons; the thought of not being able to see them each week disturbed me a lot. I prayed to understand more about what home is, knowing that we are always at home with God, regardless of physical location. I grew to see that we are all God's family and that my boys would be fine wherever we each lived. I could turn them over to God's loving care. I continued to pray, knowing that whatever the outcome, it would be right because I was trusting God. When the relocation didn't work out, I was disappointed and relieved at the same time. I felt that God was leading us all, and that for the time being I needed to stay where I was.

But I was still not happy at work. I called a practitioner for help, and one thing she told me that stuck firm was that I would not be able to move from this job until I was truly grateful for it. Every day from that point on, I would go to work and grudgingly exclaim to myself that I was grateful for my job. Then one day I actually meant it. It supplied all of my needs; I had made several new friends; and the work was becoming more familiar and enjoyable. There was actually a lot to be grateful for. Then, within a couple of weeks, I was offered a similar position in another location. I knew that God was leading me to a new opportunity, and I gladly accepted the position.

I toured my new plant a few days later and felt that I was at home—where I needed to be—that very day. I continue to feel joy and a love for the plant and its people, and I'm grateful to God for preparing the way. Since taking the new job, I have been given a full-time position as a salaried employee, along with a generous raise. I feel truly blessed!

During the months prior to this change, I prayed with ideas from a hymn that begins:

The Lord has taken my life, blessed it, and formed me anew.