Changing my career without changing my job
Originally appeared on spirituality.com
I joined the police force because I thought it would offer me opportunities to do good in our community. And it did. But as I prayed about a family problem one afternoon, I saw that what I'd done so far was only superficially helpful. I’d attended to people’s problems, to a degree. But now it was time to start healing society's challenges at their source.
To reduce crime and violence, I believed, a radical change of thought was needed. Enforcing the laws of the land was helpful. But I realized that no matter how good a policeman I was—even if I were promoted to Commissioner—that, by itself, would still not heal anything.
What was really needed was for human nature to be made better. From my study of the Bible, I knew this could be achieved by spiritualizing thought. Poverty, deprivation, violence—whatever was wrong in the community or the world—could be healed through the understanding of God’s law, which Jesus gave humanity.
Something about the resolve to spiritualize thought affected me more deeply than I’d expected. The next morning, I saw my pipe and tobacco on a table. I said to myself, “I don’t need those now,” and put them aside. I had been addicted to tobacco for 15 years or more. I'd tried many times to give it up, but nothing had worked. At one point, I'd asked a Christian Science practitioner to help me through prayer. Though I hadn't been freed of the habit then, I became convinced that I would be healed one day, and stopped fretting about it and feeling guilty.I knew this law was called Christian Science—my wife was already studying it. I had seen some remarkable healings in our family that had been the result of prayer. And I knew that I could begin improving human nature by improving my own thought. So I resolved, there and then, to join the branch Church of Christ, Scientist, where my wife was a member and my children attended Sunday School.
Two or three days later I saw the pipe and tobacco again and realized that I hadn’t even thought about smoking. I had been healed—it was as if I had never smoked. This healing was completely unexpected, as I hadn't been praying about the problem. There was more good to come.
That healing was a real turning point in my life. It was a great joy to join my wife as a member of the church, and we have been active members ever since.A few days later, I went to a bar with some colleagues for a few drinks after work. As we entered the bar, I realized I would rather be at home with my family. The first sip of beer tasted so terrible that I couldn't continue drinking. I told my co-workers I had to go, and left for home. Since that day I have wanted neither alcohol nor tobacco.
Science and Health states, “Desire is prayer; and no loss can occur from trusting God with our desires, that they may be moulded and exalted before they take form in words and in deeds” (1:11 ). I’d certainly had a strong desire to be healed of smoking, because I didn’t want to set a bad example for our children and I knew I was wasting a lot of money. And my desires had been molded and exalted—the wonderful result was complete freedom from things that had hindered my progress.
What's more, some unexpected and challenging opportunities to advance my career and also to help people through my position on the force opened up. So my initial prayer was answered, and in more ways than I’d expected. Since that time there have been many wonderful healings in our family as a result of our study and practice of Christian Science.
The desire to make a difference starts with you:
Science and Health
272:19-25
King James Bible
Ps 37:30,31
Mal. 3:10