Article August 13, 1979 Issue

Higher standards—better friendships

Susan Gay Terrell

When I was growing up, it often seemed that my standards of right and wrong kept me from having many friends and restricted my social life. My parents didn't allow me to drink or smoke. As for the attitudes toward sex held by many of my classmates—I guess I had enough sense of my own to avoid getting mixed up in permissiveness.

Sometimes I felt that if my standards were a little different, and if I weren't a Christian Scientist, I would have more friends and more fun. But as the years passed, I began to be more and more grateful that I was a Christian Scientist—strong morals and all. I realized these moral convictions gave my life a stability that others seemed to be searching for. I saw that chasing physical pleasure would only rob me of this stability.

Yet I still felt pretty lonely at times, and sometimes it was still a real challenge to do what I knew was right. So, not knowing where else to turn, I kept digging deeper into Christian Science to find a solution. As I did this, I began to get a clearer understanding of God's love for me and everyone. And it wasn't too long before I began respecting and appreciating myself more, as well as those around me. This was the turning point. This was what I had needed all along. As I began to love more, and as I gained a better view of myself and others, friendships just naturally developed. I realize now that there really had been no need for me to go through a period of loneliness.

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