Article September 9, 2013 ISSUE

Letters

Mary Ellen Chapman, Jane Starrett, Cheryl Crandall

The truths needed

I found great comfort in the article “My birthday present: forgiveness” in the July 22 & July 29, 2013, Sentinel on page 8. I was experiencing criticism and disparaging remarks from a beloved family member who was visiting, and I turned daily to the passages of this article to be reminded of the truth about my relationship with God.

I was able to avoid adding “barbs” to the arrows of others and to declare continually to myself that I do not need the approval of others because I am approved of by God. Using the concepts found in this article I was also able to bring comfort and support to my husband through this trying time.

Thank you for these teachings and insights. I was struck as well by the perfect timing: On the day I chose to read my Sentinel, I found exactly the truths I needed. God is “a very present help in trouble” (Psalms 46), and the Sentinel is truly an uplifting periodical. Thank you for all you do.

Mary Ellen Chapman
Cox’s Mills, West Virginia, US

An excellent example, but …

I am so grateful for the insights and inspiration shared in all the periodicals. Fresh points of view have often stimulated my thought to grow more Spiritward.

I just read “My birthday present: forgiveness” [Kathryn Jones Dunton] in the July 22 & 29, 2013, issue, and while an excellent example of the healing power of forgiveness, the cavalier use of birthdays as a “hook” for the article surprised and troubled me. Birthday celebrations may seem like a benign activity, but what are they really celebrating? Our birth into matter? Are we really wanting to accept and celebrate such a concept? Once we accept a birth date, doesn’t a death date logically have to follow?

My experience has been blessed by Mary Baker Eddy’s teaching, “Never record ages” (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 246 ). Throughout my life, that teaching has protected me from a variety of claims associated with being a certain age.

Thank you for all the work that you and your staff do.

Jane Starrett
Santa Fe, New Mexico, US

Love the idea of balance

[“Is food powerful?” Helen Farmer, July 22, 2013, Sentinel, JSH-Online]

Thank you for this article. I also love the idea of “balance” that you brought out. There is a right balance in our lives—the right food, the right amount of activity, the right amount of work, etc. As we listen for God’s guidance every step of the way, we are naturally led to eat the “right” things, have the right amount of normal activity—it all comes down to putting God first and letting Him take care of the rest.

Cheryl Crandall
JSH-Online Web Post

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