Article May 20, 2013 ISSUE

'Who does the nudging?'

Eric D. Nelson

The other day as I was driving from one appointment to another, the thought came that my job, Christian Science Committee on Publication for Northern California, was to be a kind of “nudge” to those I meet in the media and legislature, encouraging them, for instance, to see that health isn’t a condition of matter and that health care isn’t the exclusive domain of drug-based medicine. However, right on the heels of this “inspiration” came another, more arresting notion: “Who’s doing the nudging?”

It was pretty obvious that this question came from God, demanding that I acknowledge who’s really in charge. Is it me nudging them or God “nudging” His entire creation to hear the message of the Christ?

I realized that every appointment or phone call I make, every e-mail I send, every article I write, is a direct response to God leading me, nudging me, to be in contact with the right person at the right time, in the right place, and to always have a ready answer for those who want and need to know more about Christian Science.

Is it any wonder that later that afternoon, I found myself meeting unexpectedly with two individuals in the media I’d been trying for weeks to be in touch with? Interesting what a little inspiration will do.

Although this story relates to my work as a Committee on Publication, it obviously has implications for all of us as we remain humbly alert to God’s guidance. We don’t need to nudge anyone. All we need to do is to be willing to be nudged by God.

About the author

Eric D. Nelson is a Christian Science practitioner and Christian Science Committee on Publication for Northern California.

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