One night last fall I felt extremely ill, and soon realized I had many of the symptoms associated with COVID-19. But because I’ve learned in Christian Science how to pray and to understand myself as the reflection of God, good, I knew I didn’t have to be afraid. The symptoms were not true about my identity as God’s spiritual child. 

While the illness was the most obvious challenge I was facing, there was more going on in my life that needed healing. My childhood dog, who had been part of our family for 18 years, had just passed away. Then a couple of weeks later, my grandma unexpectedly passed away. I had also been struggling with feelings of depression, and sometimes had dark thoughts. Although I had been praying about these situations, the COVID symptoms made me feel as though I had hit rock bottom, bringing back many of the dark feelings, such as grief and despair.

I called a Christian Science practitioner for prayerful treatment, and she shared many helpful ideas that brought me peace for the first time in a long while. The one that I found most comforting was this line from Mary Baker Eddy’s poem “Communion Hymn”: “Love wipes your tears all away” (Poems, p. 75). The practitioner shared that Love, which is another name for God, wipes away not only all my tears but also all symptoms of illness as well as frustration, fear, pain, grief, and confusion. We prayed to understand that Love fills every seeming void and that I did not have to fear contagion for me or anyone else.