It's easy to see why people with unusual talents, backgrounds, or interests seem to have a special "calling" that sets them apart from others. But what's the basis of this uniqueness? Does everybody have some version of it? Is everyone "called," or does a sense of mission and purpose in life belong only to a few "chosen" individuals—the prophets described in the Old Testament, for example?
One has to admire those ancient prophets. They knew what they were about. They lived their days with intense, single-minded enthusiasm. They were moved and strengthened by the very power of God. And they knew they were chosen. Perhaps, however, the examples of these ancient prophets, though dramatic in themselves, are less than convincing in more modern times, when people don't generally feel that they hear the voice of God in a literal way. But today as yesterday, God assuredly does speak to the individual heart longing for direction and a sense of its own value.
In a radical departure from commonly held human points of view about life—even so-called "religious" life—Christian Science teaches that Life is God and that Life is never material but wholly spiritual. The truth of creation is that each individual has a spiritual, eternal identity as an expression of the perfection, harmony, and power of God. One's need is not to "find" that identity, for it has never been lost. One's need is to see it clearly and live that identity right now.
