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The perfect home
It was 90 degrees with 85 percent humidity, and we were camped out on a beach in Florida. My husband had just been transferred with the Air Force to Florida’s panhandle, so our family decided to save some money and pitch our big three-room tent in a campground on Santa Rosa Sound while we waited for base housing. We were close to the water so we could swim whenever we wanted to, and we were just across the highway from the Air Force Base. It was convenience, adventure, and fun, all in one package!
Well, the fun lasted for about four days. The temperature kept climbing, as did the humidity. Afternoon showers would produce even more humidity. We thought we’d just go jump in the water and cool off. Wrong—the water was bathtub warm, and the children and I were left to withstand unbearable heat while my husband went to work on base in an air-conditioned room. Every day the children and I would stand under a tree with perspiration dripping off us. The wait for housing at the base was three months long and I knew we could not be left out in the heat any longer.
I decided that it was time to put God on the case, and I began to study and pray as we’re taught in Christian Science. I knew that God provides all good for His children, including comfort. I prayed with the seven synonyms for God, given by Mary Baker Eddy in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures (see p. 587)—Principle, Mind, Soul, Spirit, Life, Truth, and Love—and recognized that I reflected these synonyms through qualities such as order, intelligence, and receptiveness. I began to feel a closeness to God and a sense that all was well. My next step was to get in the car and look for available housing.
Just down the beach was a group of cottages for rent. Unfortunately, when I talked to the landlady she said the only thing vacant was a new beach house set apart from the group of cottages, and it was already promised to another military family. I continued praying to God during this conversation, knowing that He was providing exactly what we needed. I took my cue from something Mrs. Eddy wrote: “God gives you His spiritual ideas, and in turn, they give you daily supplies. Never ask for to‐morrow: it is enough that divine Love is an ever-present help; and if you wait, never doubting, you will have all you need every moment” (Miscellaneous Writings 1883–1896, p. 307). I knew the perfect solution, to bless everyone, would present itself.
After we finished talking, the landlady said, “You know, I have another place the other family can rent by the time they get here. I’m going to give the beach house to you.” I thanked her warmly, silently acknowledging God’s role in bringing about such a perfect solution, and went back to the campground to pick up my family and show them the house. It was set back in the woods about 20 yards from the water, we loved everything about it (especially the air-conditioning), and thanks to the furniture left in the house we were moved in before we knew it.
It was the perfect arrangement, and to me this was just one more example of God’s daily care for me and my family. I continue to feel confident that absolute trust in Him will meet every need.
—Adrienne McWhorter, Yuba City, California