True Employment Benefits
On the surface, my employment history does not seem very stable: 1 major career change from education to financial services; 7 less dramatic career changes; and over 10 different employers. However, I have always viewed God as my ultimate employer, and looked for His guidance to show me where I am needed, and what work I have to perform.
A poignant example took place in the late 90s when I made the shift from education to financial services to better provide for a young family. My job search was accompanied by constant acknowledgement that I work for Spirit, God, serving divine creation, versus a material corporation providing services to mortals.
I accepted a position as a corporate customer service representative at a large commercial bank. The demands grew rapidly and when another representative had to take an unexpected leave, I had to complete the work of 3 people for a 6-week period without time off or leaving the phone for very long. There was a strong inclination to fear that I would have to ignore my family, suffer from “inevitable” elevated stress levels, and that I would fail to provide proper service to our customers.
Instead of entertaining these thoughts, I went back to the knowledge that I work for God, divine Mind. I was highly active in my local Christian Science church at this time, and delved deeply into the weekly Bible lessons that the Mother Church provides. This deepened my spiritual understanding of the “Science” part of Christian Science. In Science & Health with Key to the Scriptures, the founder and discoverer of Christian Science, Mary Baker Eddy, states on p. 128:
“The term Science, properly understood, refers only to the laws of God and to His government of the universe, inclusive of man. From this it follows that business men and cultured scholars have found that Christian Science enhances their endurance and mental powers, enlarges their perception of character, gives them acuteness and comprehensiveness and an ability to exceed their ordinary capacity. The human mind, imbued with this spiritual understanding, becomes more elastic, is capable of greater endurance, escapes somewhat from itself, and requires less repose.”
Instead of being a frantic, stressful time, this period was peaceful, fulfilling, and rewarding. During regular business hours, I demonstrated improved endurance and greater flexibility. Also, the growing call volume reduced drastically for this period. By the end of the 6 weeks, I had even managed to complete some overdue projects. Senior management took note and this opened up an opportunity to execute one of the seven less dramatic career changes mentioned earlier. This, in turn, allowed me continued success during the recession of 2008. I am very grateful for the stability provided by practicing Christian Science in employment, and many other areas of life.
Thanks to Todd W. for sharing this testimony.