The right move: Turning to God for Guidance in Career Moves

the right move — twice!

After many years of living away from my childhood home and family, I felt a yearning to return. My brother had children who’s childhoods i was missing, and my mother was living alone in the now too-large home we all grew up in.

Though the idea was strong to make this move several states away, there did not seem to be any good way to accomplish it. I was working in the financial field and had built a local clientele which could not transfer. I would have to find a job in a different sector of my field but this was in 2010 and the economy was in a terrible state with unemployment at elevated levels, especially in the state where we wished to move. Even if we could sell our home, the price of property at our destination would be almost triple what we could afford.

However, my husband and I agreed that we would open our thought to the opportunity, and let God guide. We would explore opportunities over the next year or two as they presented themselves to us. I prayed about the concept of home. Several ideas from Science & Health by Mary Baker Eddy guided my thought, including this one “Pilgrim on earth, thy home is heaven;” (SH 254:31 to I was needing to remember that “home” is not a specific place on a map, but a state of thinking. Jesus tells us (Luke 17:21) that the “kingdom of God is within you.” So no matter where we are, a true concept of home is in our thought, always with us. What is home? Comfort, joy, peace, stability, love, etc. Not one of these qualities requires a certain building, city, county or state in which to thrive, but only our willingness to let them live unencumbered in thought. We can “practice” home anywhere and everywhere.

Within a few days, I was led to ask an industry colleague, who had just changed from one financial company to another, whether he thought there were any opportunities for me in his new company. He knew of an opening in the exact area we were hoping to move that he thought might be just right for me. He offered to give my name to the recruiter he knew to be working on filling the position.

Within three weeks, I had an initial interview, had been flown out to the company for a final interview, and had an offer of employment in hand, at a salary double what I was currently making and adequate to locate housing in our new location. A friend of mine remarked that I had obtained the only job open in the state! Within three months, our home was sold, we moved and settled temporarily into my childhood home with my mother who appreciated our presence and assistance, and I was happily employed at this new company in a position new for me but which suited my skills, experience and talents perfectly. Later, we found our own place and purchased a home in the area.

This was an amazing demonstration to my husband and me of God’s ordaining the right home for us, and this would have been enough had it stopped there!

Seven years later, the need seemed to be to relocate to another state again, this time bringing Mom along to live with us. Again the challenge was to understand how God’s plan and how our concept of home would be manifested contrary to the negative predictions and expectations of friends and family, and even ourselves. Once again, after letting go and trusting God with all aspects of the move, my employer allowed me to relocate and maintain my position, we located a new home in one week in our new location which perfectly met our needs, and we sold both Mom’s and our home in one day. Idea to completion took a total of three months, and all went off without a hitch.

It became clear after both moves were completed, that God’s purpose in our relocations was to learn of, and then care for, the needs of my mother so that she could make the transition from living alone in a large house to letting go of the need to care for a home, a car, and her daily needs. It was all done gently and with the perfect timing for all of us to adjust. We never could have seen that plan on our own!