Healed of fear for my son's safety

Kristin Christensen

In the 1980s, when my daughter was just 16, she took her own life. For years following that traumatic event, I spent countless hours worrying about the safety of my only son. Every time I would hear an ambulance or a siren, or if I did not hear from him, I would begin to play the old record in my head titled "Fear," and the lyrics shouted impending doom and gloom. The more I tried to silence these fears, the more I could see that fear was ruling my life.

Several years after my daughter's suicide, I had a wonderful healing experience. Through reading and studying Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy, I was healed of grief over the loss of my daughter. Now, because of the fear and anxiety about my son's safety, my peace and sense of well-being were in jeopardy; I knew the relief I sought could only be found through prayer.

I turned to one of my favorite Bible stories for inspiration. The story is about three Hebrews who were thrown into a fiery furnance for worshiping their God instead of the king, Nebuchadnezzar (see Daniel, chapter 3). In spite of what the obvious consequences of their refusal to worship anyone or anything other than the one God would be—namely, their death in the furnace—the Bible shows Shadrach, Meshach, and Abenego trusting the power of God's love for them, even in the midst of the fire. The story tells us that not only were they protected from the flames, but even the smell of fire was not on them.

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