Letters January 1, 1999 ISSUE

LETTERS

with contributions from Herald radio listener, Michael Gerhäusser, Helen Frey, Sandrine Glardon, Christina Daugherty

I really find your [radio] programs very comforting. They help me to understand what God wants me to do to glorify Him.

I want to thank God for all He does for me. I am a high school pupil. To live with God when you are young is so wonderful, but if one does not have support from the Scriptures, it is so easy to give in to things that are not so good.

One Sunday morning, I heard on your program the story of the prodigal son. It has really helped me because without humility it is difficult to understand the will of God in one's life. I also received the book Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy that you sent me.

Dear brothers, receive my most cordial greetings.

from a Herald radio listener
Mora, Cameroon

Dear Herald,

Whenever I feel sick and symptoms of disease try to get hold of me, I think of this: When a completely clean person stands in front of a completely clean mirror, then his or her reflection cannot help be anything but clean.

The same goes when you think about God. God is free of disease and problems. He is perfect, harmonious. Therefore I, and all of us — as His reflection — are perfect and harmonious. We look to God to see our true being. And nothing else can show itself in us.

I hope this thought will help some readers of the Herald. I often apply this truth, and I have been healed of colds and headaches. Prayer has also helped me when I felt hurt by some insulting remarks. I held to the thought that I am the image and likeness of God. So no other concept about me or anyone else can gain any ground. And that means that you and I can be joyful and see good everywhere.

Michael Gerhäusser Wülfrath, Germany

Dear Herald,

I had to pass a swim test in order to be able to teach swim classes. Part of the test required doing a 20-meter dive. I had only been able to do that a few times, even though I had tried hard to master it.

I was afraid I would fail the test because of this requirement. When the time for the test came, I went to a quiet spot at the edge of the pool. I prayed with all my heart. I wanted to prove that there are no limitations for me or any child of God. I prayed my favorite part of the Lord's Prayer. It says, “For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever.” For me, that was the solution!

A deep inner peace came over me. One thought especially was sparkling at me. It was “For THINE is the power.” I thought, “If strength belongs to God, and I'm God's reflection, I reflect this strength effortlessly!”

I stepped onto the starting block, took a deep breath, and jumped off. I dove into the water. With each pull of my arms I said to myself, “For thine is the strength! For thine is the strength!” I was no longer afraid of the 20 meters that I had to go. Before I knew it, there was the marker on the bottom of the pool. But I had enough breath to dive even further. So to glorify God, I dove effortlessly on to the end of the pool!

I am so grateful! Through this experience, I learned that when I start from a spiritual standpoint, I can see things from a totally right perspective.

Helen Frey
Wilen, Switzerland

Beloved brothers of The Herald of Christian Science, may God bless you.

I am a young Christian who loves to read, write, and listen to the radio. I am so pleased to tell you the program you produce has been a blessing in my life. Thank you for the beautiful work you are doing. At this moment it is very necessary for humanity to turn to God in order to establish peace on earth.

from Cubr

Dear Herald,

Two years ago I lost my wallet while I was sledding. It was sent back to me and everything was still in it. This summer I forgot my wallet in a bathroom at Zurich Lake. My train pass, my identification papers, and my EC card were in it.

The girl who found the wallet thought my name sounded familiar. She remembered that we had gone to nursery school together. She called up my mother, who teaches in that nursery school, and returned the wallet to her the same day. My wallet arrived at home before I did!

Every time I have lost something, I've always thought: “If God knows only good and and sees only good, nothing good can disappear. Because that would not be anything good.”

God knows everything. And He will tell me what I should do. I will always pray this way because it helps me so much.

Sandrine Glardon
Esslingen, Switzerland

Dear Herald,

What I want to say to any teens who are having fights with friends is this: There is always a way to heal a strained friendship. 

When I was in the seventh grade, I joined the “Odyssey of the Mind” team. “Odyssey of the Mind” is a program in which groups of kids get together, solve a problem, and present the solution to judges, When I joined, I expected the others to accept me, treat me with respect, and listen to my ideas. This didn't happen. There were a lot of disagreements, tension, and fights in the team.

I started to pray. I looked up some ideas in the Bible and in Science and Health. One was: “Love never loses sight of loveliness. Its halo rests upon its object. One marvels that a friend can ever seem less than beautiful” (p. 248 ). Hate is the contradiction of love. And no child of God can show the opposite of love. To do that contradicts God because God is Love.

When I prayed, things got a lot better. I stopped seeing others as mean, as my enemies. I learned to love them. And I became less concerned about what they did. The team members who I found most difficult apologized to me.

And there was good news for our team. We ended up winning the regional competition. And we came in second in the state competition.

Christina Daugherty
Carlisle, MA, USA

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January 1, 1999
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