The current economic situation, which includes many young people around the world who remain jobless, reminds me of the time when I was completing my undergraduate studies in the 1980s. 

The job market was anything but robust. College graduates were often unemployed or significantly under-employed. With my final semester well under way, the continued reports on the prospective job market left many, including me, feeling discouraged. Even on-campus recruiting initiatives were less frequent and there were fewer participants than in prior years. 

From my study of Christian Science, I knew that each of us is a spiritual idea of God, designed to express His qualities, and that divine Love cares for all of us. So when there is a problem, the real need is to better understand our relationship to God.

While I was praying along these lines, specifically in relation to finding employment as God’s productive expression of intelligence, honesty, goodness, and other spiritual qualities, I recalled some early lessons from the time when I was a student in the Christian Science Sunday School. 

I was now a young adult and felt that I had already learned these lessons. So I was really taken aback when the thought came to me strongly to study the First Commandment: “Thou shalt have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:3). I respected the guidance provided by the commandments, but the First Commandment seemed very far removed from my job search. Nor was it something I would ever break—of course I would not worship other gods. 

Being a business and finance major, I felt I understood the economic challenges the country was facing. These conditions could in fact justify my own and others’ poor employment prospects and the lack of opportunities as a result of these challenges. Then it occurred to me that while my job prospects were a pressing concern, there was a bigger picture to consider. The economic circumstances in the United States and all of the gloom associated with a slow-moving economic recovery were at the base of what I had been looking at as my individual challenge. 

By accepting these poor prospects, I was giving power to the economy and the related fiscal analysis put forth by the political leadership, economists, and the media. In acknowledging this so-called power, I was not acknowledging the omnipotence of the one God. I was indeed breaking the First Commandment by “bowing down” to the economy. It was a tremendous awakening. 

This realization was further supported by this statement in Science and Health by Mary Baker Eddy: “As God is substance and man is the divine image and likeness, man should wish for, and in reality has, only the substance of good, the substance of Spirit, not matter. The belief that man has any other substance, or mind, is not spiritual and breaks the First Commandment, Thou shalt have one God, one Mind” (p. 301).

As I affirmed the omnipotence of God and His allness, I also denied my ability to believe in or yield to any lesser power. I affirmed God’s government of all aspects of my experience and in the lives of all people. I insisted in prayer that I could not be deceived into believing in another power.

I worked with these ideas and realized what a wonderful promise this was for me and for all of us as God’s expression. As God’s obedient reflection, it wasn’t actually possible for me to break a commandment. Rather, it was natural for me to trust His plan and not be dismayed by economic conditions. 

In a few weeks, I had the opportunity to interview for two positions, both of which offered appropriate employment and career opportunities. Much to my surprise, I was so confident in God’s guidance that I did not feel the need to pursue any additional interview opportunities. The acceptance of one of these opportunities ultimately led to a fulfilling career in finance. In addition, I realized that success is directly related to an understanding of God as the source of all good—both now and in the future. Mrs. Eddy affirms this in Miscellaneous Writings 1883–1896, “If one would be successful in the future, let him make the most of the present” (p. 230).

Many times since then, when challenges have seemed daunting, this experience has reminded me not to bow down and serve other gods—whatever form they may take. From these challenges I’ve learned that true success isn’t so much about material gain as it is learning to trust in God alone. God’s omnipotence, care, and direction are eternal, and all people can understand, demonstrate, and trust this guidance.