Last year, I was faced with a daunting employment challenge. I had just moved to New York City following a two-year period of independent travel and part-time employment, which began after my college graduation. I found a great apartment in the East Village, and was excited about the prospect of following up on some appealing job leads and beginning my career. While the economy seemed to be gaining traction, people commented on the slow job market recovery and kept saying how difficult it must be to job hunt.

As my search continued, I decided to take a couple of weeks off for Christian Science Primary class instruction, a course dedicated to the study of the Bible, and Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy. Following the class, I realized that although I was taking the right human footsteps to find employment, I needed to make sure I left God in charge of the process and listened to Him for guidance.

After a couple of unsuccessful interviews, I decided to hunker down and pray. I had prayed persistently when I was looking at high schools and applying to college, and feel certain that helped guide me through the decision process. I began by reading a pamphlet published by The Christian Science Publishing Society titled "Place." I also studied Psalm 91, paying close attention to the first verse, "He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty." I realized that as God's child, I, along with everybody else, was entitled to this promise.

At one point, I decided to call a Christian Science practitioner for help in focusing my prayers, and also to support my work. During one of our talks, the practitioner encouraged me to be clear that I was already divinely employed; God was my employer and it had always been my job to express His qualities, such as creativity, unselfishness, and intelligence. As I employed these qualities in my everyday life, I could expect that God would reveal opportunities for me to utilize my talents to the benefit of a company and all of its employees.

Additionally, I realized that my prayers had to take into account my future employer. I needed to know that just as I would not make a mistake during the interview process, my potential employer would also be led by divine intuition to see each applicant's true merits and choose the right person for the job. My nervousness about job interviews was quieted by the realization that the interviewer and I were actually on the same side of the table because we both wanted what was best for the company. The practitioner helped me realize that God brings together need (the employer, in this case) and supply (the prospective employee) for the greater good, and that I could trust God with my desire to find the right employment. I considered this passage in Science and Health: "Adhesion, cohesion, and attraction are properties of Mind" (p. 124), and I reasoned that if there was only one attraction, I would be drawn to an employment opportunity where I could both bless and be blessed.

One key obstacle was my feeling that I had made a mistake by taking time off to travel after graduation rather than getting a job right away. One of my first interviews lasted for only a few minutes, when the interviewer questioned why I was looking for a desk job after my traveling experience. During my two years of traveling, I had been able to visit four continents, gain proficiency in a foreign language, and see many diverse peoples and places. I had learned a lot from these experiences, and decided that I would not let interviewers or friends bring me down by suggesting that this decision was hurting my job prospects.

I also had to be humble enough to accept an entry-level job, when it seemed that most of my friends were going to business school and rapidly advancing in their careers. Initially I had thought I could skip the entry-level route altogether, but it quickly became apparent that I would need the willingness to learn any business from the ground up, in the same way my friends were doing. I realized it was limiting to see myself worthy of accepting only a certain job in a specific field or a certain career track, and this insight opened my thought to new possibilities.

I learned that in order to see proof of the fact I was already employed by God, I needed humility, along with greater spiritual insight. Regardless of how my job prospects looked, I decided to trust my Father's plan and lean on this promise from Isaiah: "Thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left" (30:21). This was a promise that I would feel God's direction.

As my prayer with the practitioner progressed, I had to be disciplined in trusting God's plan after what appeared to be a major disappointment. Soon after beginning our work together, I returned home, very enthusiastic after a second interview at a firm that seemed to be a perfect fit for me. However, my intuition told me that although the timing seemed right, the job was not meant for me. This was confirmed two weeks later when I was notified that the firm had decided to hire someone else. While greatly disappointed, I returned to my spiritual study, realizing that I would have to be patient.

I made daily trips to a local Christian Science Reading Room and studied Mrs. Eddy's writings, including the following passage from her book Retrospection and Introspection: "Each individual must fill his own niche in time and eternity" (p. 70). I remember thinking that my niche could not be taken from me, nor be hidden from my sight. Hymn No. 236 in the Christian Science Hymnal puts it this way:

These words reminded me that I could not take another person's spot, nor could I face competition for my right place, which only I could occupy, because God would never misplace or confuse His beloved child with another.

After several months of prayer and many different interviews, I was contacted out of the blue by a company I had never heard of and was asked to come in for an interview. After a second interview, they made me an offer that same day. I asked for a few days to think about it, during which time the company called me several times to express their continued interest.

By this point in my job search, I had begun to look at jobs in a different field, and considered not accepting the offer. I decided to get quiet and really pray for direction. It seemed that this company clearly had a "need" for me, but I still had to let God reveal His plan for me.

In my prayers, it became clear to me that this was an opportunity that I could try, and at the very least it would be a learning experience. While there were a few uncertainties about the company, I felt guided to take this next step, and knew that I could trust divine Mind's direction.

I'm happy to say that the job has turned out to be exactly what I was looking for, exposing me to many different companies, situations, and people. Last August, I was also grateful to receive a promotion and a raise.

I have learned to trust more in God's care, which is always with us, and in His guidance in all aspects of my life. Mrs. Eddy put it best in a passage from Unity of Good: "Now this self-same God is our helper. ... and [He] guides every event of our careers" (pp. 3—4).