Article January 13, 2014 ISSUE

Healed of sadness when my guinea pig died

Sofia

I woke up one morning and got out of bed to check on my guinea pig, Brownie. But Brownie was gone. My mom had put a rose in the spot where Brownie usually slept. I knew what had happened, that Brownie had died.

I had learned in the Christian Science Sunday School that everyone is a spiritual idea, created by God—animals too. And I knew that the idea of Brownie was still alive. But I was very sad. I went to my mom. I asked, “What did you do with Brownie?” My mom said, “Dad and I put her in a shoe box and buried her in our front yard.” I went to check. I found the spot where they had buried Brownie. There was a plant on top of it.

I prayed. We had been studying the Lord’s Prayer in Sunday School (see Matthew 6:9–13 ). That was the first thing that came to my thought. I started with “Our Father which art in heaven.” In place of “Our Father,” I put all the names for God that I had learned—Truth, Soul, Spirit, Principle, Mind, Love, Life—and thought about what that meant. For example, God is Love and would never stop loving any of His creatures. Love is perfect.

Then I went on to the next part, “Hallowed be thy name.” In my class we had talked about all the qualities that made up my name, my real nature as a child of God. I thought about all the qualities that God thought about me and Brownie—graceful, peaceful, kind, and happy. I thought about all the people who love me and Brownie. I remembered that Brownie would never stop loving me. I would never stop loving her. I felt really happy about that. This happiness is always there because God gives it to me. I could let it out and show it to others.

I felt better because I knew I could trust God. God and I can communicate together. God made me feel comforted.

Sofia, 9
Denver, Colorado