I was walking down the hall to my office on the first day at my new job, when a guy noticed me and shouted through his office door: “Oooh-rah!” I was serving the United States Marines as a Christian Science chaplain, and I realized that the Marine was excited to see me. His shout was one of camaraderie and “esprit de corps,” as it was, in effect, a statement of spirit and motivation.
I was glad this new job was my first in the US military because it helped to set the tone for my entire career as a chaplain. Not only did I feel motivated by that camaraderie, I felt motivated by and for God.
For me, feeling motivated by God comes from having a camaraderie, so to speak, with Him. Through prayer – through talking to and listening to God – I had been divinely guided to serve in this position. Mary Baker Eddy, who founded this publication, writes, “God is our helper. … He has mercy upon us, and guides every event of our careers” (“Unity of Good,” pp. 3-4). My prayers had been motivated by my desire to serve God, as I often prayed something like, “God, where can I serve You best? I will go wherever You want me to be.” So I knew the answer that came had to be guided by God.
Feeling motivated for God meant being ready to share ideas about Him with others. And, I was ready to share the spiritual truth that the reality of man (you, me, and all) is that we are each the spiritual offspring, or idea, of God. God knows us as beloved, perfect, protected, complete, harmonious.
It was this understanding of man’s God-given heritage that Christ Jesus perceived and that enabled him to heal people. We can strive to see ourselves and others this way as well, and be motivated to prove our spirituality, as Jesus taught, and to recognize and rely on the divine power behind that spiritual view.
I was able to demonstrate this spiritual motivation in a very practical way when I participated in a 15-mile hike with the Marines. I knew that each of us is truly God’s offspring – spiritual, not material – and so I could prove my God-given freedom from any concerns about physical limits or conditions. I prayerfully affirmed that qualities such as endurance, strength, and intelligence originate in God, not matter, so matter could never take them away. They are permanently ours to express as God’s children.
I’m grateful to say I was able to complete the hike with the Marines and prove my God-given dominion over any thoughts that might have tried to keep me from doing so. What’s more, I know this example was motivating to the Marines. And it said something of their spiritual motivation to have their chaplain join them on the hike, particularly as I encouraged them to rely on God for their strength.
We all can expect our motivation to stay strong, affirming this spiritual conviction: “Citizens of the world, accept the ‘glorious liberty of the children of God,’ and be free! This is your divine right” (Mary Baker Eddy, “Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures,” p. 227).
This is spiritual reality – our true existence as God’s offspring, free of material limits of any kind. To experience that freedom is our divine right. We can be motivated by that fact.
