God's Mansions – Our Right Place

By Marjorie Foerster Eddington

Are we in our right place -- right school, job, community, relationship? Trying to understand where we should be and what we should be doing seems to be a consistent issue for people of all ages.

Often we feel that changing classes, schools, activities, jobs, relationships, houses, locations will fix the problem. But just changing the human circumstance does not guarantee that everything will be perfect. What may be of greater importance is our willingness to change our thinking. In reality, place really is not so much a physical or social position as it is a divine idea or a state of thought, a spiritual attitude or position. Our thoughts determine our experience. Realizing that place is a state of consciousness is actually quite empowering, for while we have little or no control over what happens to us, we do have control over our own thoughts. As such, our own thoughts can determine whether or not we feel displaced or in our proper place.

Now, place is not just positive thinking about where we are in life; it is much more than that. It is a gift from God. Jesus declares:

In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. (John 14:2)

What a comforting promise! Let's use this truth as a starting point to pray for ourselves and our loved ones so that we can honestly feel at peace about our own place and everyone's place in life.

• First of all, God is our Father, our Parent. Therefore, we are His children. As children live with their parents, we too, live with our divine Parent. What a privilege it is to claim our inheritance and live in His house!
• God's house is permanent and spiritual. As a result, it cannot be destroyed by a tsunami, earthquake, tornado, hurricane, fire, accident, violence, war.
• Paul confirms this: "For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens" (II Cor. 5:1). Eternal means "forever," so we have a "forever" mansion, regardless of what happens in the human experience.
• "Mansion" denotes expansive grandeur. We have a fantastic place to live, not just a shack. God gives us His very best, and that gift is blessing us.
• There's no need for us to worry about whether or not we'll be able to find a place in God's house. God's house has "many mansions" -- plenty of room for all of us, for everyone to have his or her own niche in one of God's mansions.
• There are no limits to God's love; otherwise, Jesus would have told us. As result, there's no need for competition. Competition is based on the concept of lack -- of limited resources, classes, jobs, houses in a certain price range, friends, marriageable people, etc.
• Our place is already prepared for us; everyone's place is prepared. Jesus assures us of this.

Not only is our place prepared for us, but God has made sure that we can know and find this prepared place.

• God told Moses to tell the Children of Israel: "Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared (Ex. 23:20). And the angels led the Israelites to the Promised Land.
• Angels are messages from God to us.
• His angel thoughts are leading us to the place God has provided and prepared for us, keeping us safe in the process.
• With angels as our guides, there's no need to be concerned that we won't be able to find our right place. God's love for His children is evident. He's always communicating to us and caring for us.

It's comforting to know that we don't have to wait to get to this right place. We're already in our right place.

• Jesus declares: "The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you" (Luke 17:20, 21).
• This does not mean that God is inside a physical body. Rather, God's kingdom of eternal harmony is within our consciousness.
• As we allow the presence and power of God's kingdom of harmony to fill our thoughts, we will find that our experiences are harmonious and peaceful.

So, how do we heal a current circumstance that is so bleak that it's hard for us to believe that God's kingdom is anywhere around? What do we do when we really need to get out of a situation that is no longer blessing us? In addition to understanding everything we've examined so far, we can trust God, see the good already active in our lives, erase fear, and love more.

• We know that the angels, God's messages, are leading us, and we can trust that they will show us what we need to know or where we need to be.
• If or when we do make a move, we can realize that we're really just moving from one place in God's mansions to another. When Moses saw the burning bush, God told him: "Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground" (Ex. 3:5).
• We don't need to be afraid of enjoying where we are right now. In the 1970s, a popular folk song suggested, "Bloom where you're planted." Often we find that if we want to get out of a situation, the best way is to love our way out of it.
• When we truly love, either the environment is changed or we're lifted out of the situation.

Being in God's house, which is always "within" our thoughts, is really the only place we live. Without a doubt, it's also the best place. The Bible tells us, "Glory and honour are in his presence; strength and gladness are in his place" (I Chron. 16:27-29). And the psalmist iterates, "Justice and judgment are the habitation of thy throne: mercy and truth shall go before thy face" (Ps. 89:14). God places each one of us in His mansions, which are with us wherever we go -- full of unwavering and eternal glory, honor, strength, and gladness.