Article February 20, 2012 Issue

How can a loss be a gain?

By Troy Barker

First appeared as a web original on November 14, 2011

Growing up as a student of Christian Science meant that I got rather acquainted with five poems written by the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, Mary Baker Eddy. One such poem is “Mother’s Evening Prayer,” which is also set to music in the Christian Science Hymnal (No. 207). It’s a hymn I appreciate more and more as I gain a better understanding of its applicability. 

For years I really felt it was more of a prayer for a mother or parent who played the role of both mother and father. I guess it could be, but I began to doubt its meaning could be so narrow. Recently I rediscovered this hymn in a whole new light, especially the line: “No ill,—since God is good, and loss is gain.” I learned that my supply was always being met, even when I felt it was being taken away.

I had planned some house repairs for years, but never had the finances in place to complete them. I could not really see how I was going to get them done, but I carefully planned the expenses and finally had a budget to complete some key fixes. All was going well until I reached home one morning, after a glorious day of photography, to discover the house was flooding! This was due to a water main that had burst in the bricks-and-mortar type walls. It would have to be replaced. I eventually discovered that all of the pipes in the walls had to be replaced. This was certainly an unplanned expense. 

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