Article December 7, 1974 Issue

Loneliness Can Be Healed

BARBARA JILL PRESLER

At one time in my life I was very lonely. I didn't seem to fit in harmoniously with those around me, and I spent a great deal of time alone. The harder I tried to make friends, the worse things got, and I was miserable. Previously I had always gotten along pretty well with those around me and had had enough friends; so this was a challenge.

But this experience was really a blessing in disguise, for it taught me more about myself as the child of God. It also taught me to reach beyond those I desired friendship with, to know man as the perfect reflection of Mind, God, and to see no one as being unworthy of my love and friendship. In short, it was a wilderness experience that taught me to be a better student of Christian Science.

Mrs. Eddy defines "wilderness" as "loneliness; doubt; darkness. Spontaneity of thought and idea; the vestibule in which a material sense of things disappears, and spiritual sense unfolds the great facts of existence."^{Science and Health, p. 597;}