I am a Christian Scientist who is currently an active duty United States Navy chaplain, ministering to Navy service members and their families while serving on a ship or a military base. Christian Science chaplains provide spiritual care and counseling to those in need and are often called to help in emergency situations. 

My journey to the chaplaincy was longer than I expected, with circumstances arising to delay or even prevent me from obtaining this position. But the obstacles brought a deeper reliance on God, which has only helped me as I minister to others.

At what I thought would be my final interview to become a chaplain, the panel of interviewing chaplains informed me that, because of brand-new requirements effective that month, I would have to complete two years of ministry fieldwork before I could apply again. Having completed four years of divinity school, I had been looking forward to becoming a chaplain right away, so this information was initially very disappointing. But I prayed with ideas from the Bible and Mary Baker Eddy’s writings, including “[God] has mercy upon us, and guides every event of our careers” (Unity of Good, pp. 3–4). These ideas helped me stay focused on the bigger picture: that God was leading me and that the path would continue to unfold as I trusted.