Article July 25, 2011 Issue

Family harmony—it’s possible!

John Minard, Valerie Minard

John and Valerie Minard were guests on this live Sentinel audio chat. John is a practitioner and teacher of Christian Science, and Valerie, his wife, is in the full-time practice of Christian Science healing. They live in Collingswood, New Jersey, close to Philadelphia. This chat has been edited for readability. 

Please address the issue of divorce and how to prayerfully handle the feelings of shame, guilt, andtrauma that adults and children face for many years. How can family harmony be restored?

Valerie: I’m reminded of this passage from the Bible: “Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed: neither be thou confounded; for thou shalt not be put to shame: for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth, and shall not remember the reproach of thy widowhood any more. For thy Maker is thine husband; the Lord of hosts is his name.” And then further on it says: “For the Lord hath called thee as a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, and a wife of youth, . . . . For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee” (Isa. 54:4–7). I love that idea that God is our true husband, or in other cases, wife, and that we can never be separated from God’s love. And if that’s the fact, then we can never be divorced from right companionship. So there’s nothing to be ashamed of. 

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