Article January 1, 2001 ISSUE

There's a solution for everything

by Petra Rehder Guest Contributing Editor

When I was in high school, my friends sometimes accused me of being starry-eyed about life. “You'll see that life is full of tragic events that simply have to be endured,” they warned. I didn't want to see the world through rose-colored glasses. But I was somehow convinced that there was a solution to every problem, and that life wasn't just a matter of fate.

I found confirmation for this at 17. That was when I came across the book Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy. In its pages I learned about God's law of love, and that He has the answers to our problems. He always gives us a good solution. But it may be a solution that is entirely different from the one we would have planned for ourselves.

In the Bible it says, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isa. 55:8, 9 ).

About three years ago my prayer led me to a completely different solution from the one I had hoped for. Yet, in the end, what looked like bitter disappointment and loss turned out to be a blessing. And I learned that God is not fickle or cold. He is always Principle, Love. We can always count on Him.

Here is what happened: I thought that I had finally met “Mrs. Right.” It was “love at first sight.” Everything seemed to be perfect. We had met on a train trip and started to e-mail each other a lot. We had wonderful talks about God, and it looked like we had so much in common. After a few months I realized that my friend wanted to marry me. And I was open to this idea.

On one of our next dates, though, we started to talk more deeply about our values. Then, suddenly, we saw we were worlds apart with regard to our views on life — on how to raise children, for example.

For the next few weeks I prayed deeply, and my prayer was sometimes accompanied by a hard, inner struggle. I wrestled to pray with an honest heart: “Lord, thy will be done,” as it says in the Lord's Prayer. And I remembered again what the Bible says, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord” (Isa. 55:8 ).

I saw that my strong feeling that “I wanted him” was no help whatsoever. I also realized that our distinct individualities simply didn't fit together — in many ways. So, contrary to our emotions, but obedient to our intuition, we split up.

At first, I struggled with the pain of having lost a wonderful guy. Even though I knew that we were not on the same spiritual path, I still thought I'd never be able to get over losing him.

But I also knew that God's law of never-ending love couldn't offer a painful, half-way solution. God is totally good. I had learned that already from three years in the Christian Science Sunday School. “God will give us a complete deal,” I thought. “We can always expect total satisfaction, true peace, genuine freedom. Not just 50, 70, or 95 percent. But 100 percent!”

I prayed for both of us — that we would both feel this complete peace and freedom. “Father-Mother God, You are the never-ending Principle, Love,” I said to God. “You know me. You love me. I am your child. I want only what you want, because You know everything. Help me gain my inner peace again.”

It took a while. But the pain completely dissolved. Not because I met a different guy, but because I became more aware of the ever-presence of God, and His protecting and intelligent law of love. My grades had always been good, but I began to do exceptionally well in school. I quickly made many wonderful, new, close friends. There was no “gap,” in my life, the way you might expect when you break up with someone.

This is how I came to know God as an ever-present and wonderful friend — who knows our needs better than we do ourselves. The first sentence in Science and Health summarizes for me the deep conviction of this loving and protecting presence that any of us can feel: “To those leaning on the sustaining infinite, to-day is big with blessings.”

God always has a perfect solution for us. He has one for you, too, no matter how tough a situation you may have to face. That's a deep conviction that all the writers of this Teen Herald share. They've found it out for themselves. And I believe that you can, too.

About the author

Petra is from Berlin, Germany.

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