Recently, a friend who regularly visits prisons was put to the test of fulfilling her Christian commitment to loving her neighbor. It demanded a willingness to look beyond the personality of one of the inmates. Let me explain.

This individual attacked her verbally in a very personal way, but my friend, a Christian Scientist, chose to embody spiritual love. That’s what she was there to share as a volunteer prison chaplain. She looked past the individual’s behavior and the hostile thought behind it. She prayed to see what divine Love, God, always sees in everyone—namely that we are each God’s loved, spiritual offspring.

As a result, my friend kept her cool. She also went on to have inspiring interchanges with other prisoners. And as she was leaving the prison wing, the harasser called out after her, sincerely offering an unsolicited apology.