Article March 18, 2013 Issue

Active employment

Alan Pearlmutter

Searching for employment can be daunting—especially when one is seeking a job suited to one’s own talents and needs. But Christian Science allows us to develop a more spiritual concept of employment, and as we look to God, divine Mind, we discover solutions that lead us out of inharmony, enable us to utilize our skills, and bless all involved.

I relocated to Boston in late 2005 with the hope of finding work as a music teacher and professor. Armed with a résumé that outlined a productive academic career, I expected to achieve my goals. I applied for many jobs for which I was highly qualified, and also explored temporary work such as arts telemarketing and substitute teaching. But much of the time I received no return mail, and those interviews to which I was invited emphasized competition.

At first I hadn’t considered much about God’s presence with regard to my employment. But I started to recognize that humility and the willingness to trust His guidance were important antidotes to the fear I was feeling about the situation. I thought of the words of Jesus: “Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? … But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matthew 6:25, 33).