Article May 12, 2014 Issue

My 'path map' and sharing Christian Science

Mary Beth Cox

One evening about five years ago, my friend and I were attending a Wednesday testimony meeting at our local Christian Science church. During the second half of the meeting, my friend shared a testimony, but I did not. After the meeting, she asked why I hadn’t shared. I didn’t have any particular reason, and she gently reminded me how important it is to recognize the healings always going on in our lives and to share these experiences so that others may benefit from them, too. Ever since this experience, I’ve been giving testimonies at almost every testimony meeting I’ve attended. And I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve been healed by some inspired idea someone else has shared at a testimony meeting.

Lately, it’s occurred to me that getting into the habit of sharing my practice of Christian Science with congregations on Wednesday nights has prepared me for sharing with people who are not Christian Scientists on many other occasions. To take just one example, my husband and I moved last fall so I could start a master’s program. The first assignment for the graduate students was to create a “path map” of our individual journeys and how we came to enroll in this particular program.

I had never been that comfortable talking about Christian Science with people who were unfamiliar with it, but I really wanted to share with this new community the vital role that my religion has played in shaping who I am and what paths I pursue. So while sharing my “path map,” I included my faith and how I practice it—and found myself able to talk about my experiences honestly and fluidly.

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