Wanting to live a happy life, be a successful parent, or make progress in a chosen career are normal human motives. But how can we be sure that what’s moving us is leading to more stability or security? How can we weed out the wrong motives and make sure we’re starting from the right premise?

I’ve had to confront and reconsider my own motives many times. On one occasion I was having some difficulty moving because of pain in my hip—pain that was keeping me awake at night and out of work during the day.

I make a living by helping others with personal care that often includes lifting and mobility. Since I contract my services, when I don’t work I don’t get paid. Although I’m accustomed to seeing needs met through reliance on God, I was overwhelmed by the thought of not working because of major pending expenses.

The expression of Christlike qualities such as patience, compassion, and caring were taking a backseat to worry. My concept of work had been reduced to simply bringing in money. Admittedly, it wasn’t much of a pure motive, and I was mentally dragging along under the burden. The lack of light-hearted, inspired motives made the work feel very heavy. No wonder moving was painful and fatiguing.

With the support of a Christian Science practitioner on two different occasions, I began to pray more earnestly. I looked to the Bible, which is filled with examples of individuals whose motives determined their paths. There was Daniel, who was so governed by his desire to love God that nothing could stop him—even if it meant getting thrown into a den of lions. Putting God first kept Daniel completely unharmed and proved to others that God was the only power.

There were also individuals whose troubled motives led them down a more difficult path. Jacob’s ambition to have the blessing that belonged to his brother led him to deceit. David’s desire for Bathsheba moved him to kill her husband, Uriah. Ultimately though, their deep love for God enabled them to reconcile their mistakes and begin again with the right intentions.

As I prayed, my desire was to spiritualize my own motives through prayer to God, Spirit—to see myself as His perfect creation. I expected this prayer to purify my thought and bring my motives and actions more in line with my real and only identity as the image and likeness of God.

The very reason I could purify my thought was because I was God’s child. I needed to see that this present truth couldn’t be stopped or hindered by fear, worry, or the false responsibility that I was personally responsible for my income. So I began to ask myself, what is moving me?

My real work was to be the expression God created me to be. Whether I was helping someone else or running my own errand didn’t matter. I was always living, moving—motivated—and having my being in God. I wasn’t more of God’s child at one moment and less at another. As the reflection of God I always had to be moved by the love of Love, the harmony of Life, the beauty of Soul, and the intelligence of Mind. I couldn’t be separated from this inexhaustible activity.

Mary Baker Eddy, who discovered and founded Christian Science, knew the power of spiritual motives. In her most important book, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, she said, “Love inspires, illumines, designates, and leads the way. Right motives give pinions to thought, and strength and freedom to speech and action.”

Motives always move thought in some direction, and right motives make sure the direction is right, progressive, and the greatest blessing to everyone involved. This naturally leads to seeing more of God’s unchanging goodness for ourselves and others.

As I prayed, I found it was also important to understand that nerves were not prime movers, and that God wasn’t in any way dependent upon matter, nerve, or muscles to accomplish anything. The divine law that constituted my being was the law of perfection to every part of my human system—including my motives.

After about a week and a half I felt strongly impelled to go back to work. Even though I wasn’t moving with complete freedom yet, the burden in my thought had begun to lift. I went about my day knowing it was the right thing to be doing, and affirming that the purpose of my activity was to express and glorify God.

In a few days I was walking and moving normally again. The healing was complete and I was filled with gratitude. In addition, our expenses were completely paid, and in the following months other income came from unexpected sources.

It was an important lesson to me that Love was my real impulse for activity. And a shift in perspective to see the spiritual fact more clearly displaced the wrong motive and revealed what had always been the fact—that my purpose and supply both come from God.

Right motives:

Science and Health
454:18-21

King James Bible
Dan. 6:16-28
Gen. 27:21-27
II Sam. 11:3-24