It was my senior year of college, and I had just returned home for my winter break when, very abruptly, my dad passed on. He was one of the most kind, patient, and faithful men I’ve ever known. He was a great person and an amazing dad. 

I felt so lost. What was I going to do without the man who had always been there to guide me through life? In May of that year, I would be graduating from college, and I had no idea what I was going to do afterward. I wanted to do something purposeful that involved helping others. My dad was the person with whom I most wanted to talk about jobs, but now he wasn’t here. 

During the spring of my senior year, I prayed a lot about both my dad’s passing and employment after college. When I have had challenges in my life, I’ve always turned to God for answers and comfort, and I’ve always found both. I knew that God would take care of me this time, too, but at times things felt like an uphill battle. There were days when I felt very sad and lost. 

I had been making some calls to explore career options, and one individual I spoke with was a Christian Scientist. He encouraged me to think about a line in the Lord’s Prayer that says, “Give us this day our daily bread” (Matthew 6:11). To me, the “daily bread” in the Lord’s Prayer is a promise that’s based on the fact that God, whom the prayer refers to as “our Father,” meets our need, whether it’s food, purposeful employment, or anything else. As I prayed with this idea, my perspective shifted—from thinking that it was up to me to find a job, to understanding that God was giving me everything I needed. Once I began acknowledging my divine Father as the source of my supply, the uncertainty faded away, and opportunities started to open up. A friend let me know about a residential assistant position at a high school in another state. I eventually applied and was accepted for the job.

I am so grateful that I was led to apply for the job. It was a very healing year for me, and the work that I did helped me a lot in moving forward after my dad’s passing. I felt purposeful, and I found healing, because every day I was looking to bless and help others, just like my dad did in his life. I love the way Mary Baker Eddy describes this in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures where she writes, “Whatever holds human thought in line with unselfed love, receives directly the divine power” (p. 192). It was this unselfed love that healed me. 

This experience taught me a lot about how turning to God with the humble desire to bless others actually opens us up to be blessed and healed. Now, when I miss my dad, I look for ways to help and bless others. I’ve been so grateful to be able to honor my dad every day through my work, and to feel more of my divine Father’s care, which I know will always be there.