When we put God first, everything else falls into place

When my husband and I had just graduated from college, we moved to an unfamiliar northern city. We struggled to find work related to what we had studied, but ended up working for a temporary agency at minimum wage. This was a stark shift from our college days, where we had excelled in our studies and our days were meaningful to us. 

After several months, I started to become depressed, wondering about the meaning of life. I prayed and attended a Christian Science church regularly. On the wall of that church it said, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matthew 6:33). I tried to be obedient to this idea, but was overwhelmed by how many “things” we needed and couldn’t afford. I couldn’t see how things could get better. 

When the new year came, I decided to take a full week off from work to pray about our situation. As I sat down to pray on the first day, I was in tears. Then I opened Science and Health to page 468 and read, “Question. — What is Life? Answer. — Life is divine Principle, Mind, Soul, Spirit. Life is without beginning and without end.” Instantly, I was lifted up out of the darkness and depression and realized that knowing and understanding God is really all that we need to do. When we put God first in our lives, everything else falls into place. Honestly, I was surprised to have found my answer so quickly.

Yet the next day I again found myself in tears and realized that I had to keep studying and praying and remembering to put God first in my life. I learned to walk with these words from the Bible, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths” (Proverbs 3:5, 6). I learned to really search my thought to be sure I was only acknowledging God, good.  

I now look back on this experience as a time of great spiritual growth and treasure what unfolded. Within a month or two, both my husband and I had transferred into jobs that better related to our fields of study. My husband was also accepted to graduate school in a town that was more rural, had a warmer climate, and was close to my husband’s family—all of which we desired. We moved to that town and are still living there 35 years later, full of gratitude for God’s love and care for us and all creation. As the Bible says, “Thou openest thine hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing” (Psalm 145:16).