TeenConnect: Q&A
January 12, 2021
How can I feel inspired all day long?
Q: I pray every morning and usually feel inspired, but then I get into the day, and between school, sports, and everything else, I feel like I leave the inspiration behind completely. How can I carry my prayers through the whole day?
A: This is a great question and one I’ve wrestled with. It might seem like our world is split into two parts: one that is spiritual and inspired, and the other, well, that would be our daily routine, which may not exactly feel uplifting or keep us focused on God.
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But here’s something that has really helped me and has made life seem less disjointed. One of the great things about Christian Science is that it explains that all good is evidence of God’s presence, because God is good. A hymn in the Christian Science Hymnal puts it this way: “All good, where’er it may be found, / Its source doth find in Thee” (John Ryland, adapt., No. 224).
It might seem like our world is split into two parts: one that is spiritual and inspired, and the other, well, that would be our daily routine.
To me that means anything good we see is God being expressed. Not physical objects, of course, but the good ideas behind them. These are evidence of God.
So, the bottom line is that wherever good is, God is. And because it’s relatively easy to recognize good in our lives, that helps us become aware of good’s, God’s, presence throughout our days, even when we’re not specifically thinking about the Divine.
Consciously being on the lookout for good helps keep our thoughts from going into disconnect mode the minute we get into our daily routine. We can feel more consistently connected as we recognize good even in simple or small ways. I’ve seen it in seagulls hovering over a dumpster, a flower where there wasn’t one yesterday, a cheerful wave from a neighbor.
As I expect and recognize the all-around-me-ness of good, I’m immediately ready to deal with problems from an inspired perspective.
When I start my 15-mile drive into town, I’ve even made it a habit to think, “OK, God, strut Your stuff.” Acknowledging that God is always “showing off,” as a friend of mine puts it, anchors me in a place of being more aware of the infinite good that surrounds us all, wherever we are. And we can expect to find inspiration everywhere we go, since the Bible tells us, “In him [God] we live, and move, and have our being” (Acts 17:28).
Sometimes I’ll smile at a beautiful cloud formation, which speaks to me of God’s, Soul’s, design. Or I’ll notice the orderly flow of traffic, which hints at Principle’s, God’s, orderliness.
I’ve found that as I expect and recognize the all-around-me-ness of good, I’m immediately ready to deal with problems from an inspired perspective. For example, one day I had just been appreciating the dance of light on the hills on my drive into town when suddenly I rounded a corner, and there was a deer standing paralyzed in the middle of the opposite lane. This was a major state highway with nearly constant traffic going both directions, and it seemed like a collision was inevitable.
In what felt like less than a split second, I slowed the car. At the same time, I knew—no, actually, God told me—that He was in complete control of everything, including this gorgeous deer. I didn’t have to reach for an appropriate idea to pray with. I was already “at the ready” because of my awareness of God’s presence as I was driving. As though the whole thing were being divinely choreographed, the deer had just enough time to dart in front of my car and safely disappear over a berm into a creek bed. We were both protected—and so was everyone else on the road.
As we expand our awareness of God’s presence, our lives are lifted into a seamless flow of goodness. My eagerness to see more of all that God is—and to experience it—is the reason I ask God to show me more of His glory and wonder each day. And God does that in spades.