Several years ago I picked up the phone to call a Christian Science practitioner for the first time. My parents had called practitioners at different times to pray for me when I was a child, but I had never reached out to one on my own. The first name I noticed in the directory in The Christian Science Journal was one I was familiar with from a radio program I had heard and found helpful years before. I felt I had been led in this time of need to ask this person to pray for me.  

On that call to the practitioner, who was also a teacher of Christian Science, I started by asking him about Primary class instruction, a two-week course on Christian Science healing. Then I shared with him what I was dealing with—an overwhelming feeling of responsibility and depression. He agreed to give me metaphysical treatment. Through this help, I was able to see life as a blessing and not a burden and to move forward.

The Discoverer of Christian Science, Mary Baker Eddy, wrote: “The new birth is not the work of a moment. It begins with moments, and goes on with years; moments of surrender to God, of childlike trust and joyful adoption of good; moments of self-abnegation, self-consecration, heaven-born hope, and spiritual love” (Miscellaneous Writings 1883–1896, p. 15). This passage has become a guide on my journey of spiritual growth. Moment by moment, I have been learning to trust God’s total control of my life.  

I ended up taking class instruction from this same teacher, and for those two weeks I was immersed in learning about God and His creation. Before leaving home, I had told my wife that I couldn’t come back the same person—and I didn’t. And in the ensuing years, my teacher helped me, through prayer, to move forward in healing issues of personality conflict and to overcome physical problems. Each of these healings became a support to lean on as proof of the care of divine Love, God.  

Through class instruction, I learned to go beyond just being a good person to live more in accord with Love and to understand Life as divine and eternal. I learned to correct negative, material thoughts about others and about myself, and not to allow myself to be influenced if I encounter another’s ungodlike, untrue thought about me. I’ve also found more peace in making decisions by surrendering human reasoning and trusting that God will direct me to whatever is the most loving, honest, and intelligent choice. 

Since taking class instruction, I have been working to understand more of my God-given purpose and to pursue a deeper understanding of Christian Science. I have been provided with many opportunities to learn more about the public healing practice of Christian Science and have even been able to help others through prayer in different situations. 

For example, I was able to help my family through a violent, difficult event by understanding that it wasn’t something that would have to be remembered every year. Instead, there would be new opportunities to understand ever more clearly that the divine Mind, God, doesn’t know violence and that man is neither a victim nor a perpetrator of evil. I have been asked by others (outside my family) to pray for them. Volunteering at a correctional facility through my branch Church of Christ, Scientist, enables me to offer the men there some new light on their situation and help them to see themselves as God sees them. And within an hour of praying about a hip problem where I could not stand up straight, I was healed and able to run several miles. 

Most important, I’ve been more consistent in putting into practice daily what I know to be true about myself and others as God’s creation. I’ve learned to first understand what it is in thought that needs to be changed, then to humbly turn to God, letting go of material beliefs I have taken in, and finally to pour love into every thought. This path of spiritual growth is spelled out by Mrs. Eddy in her article “The Way” (see Miscellaneous Writings, pp. 355–359).

I have found it very important to remember that God, good, is the reality and that therefore, any form of discord is unreal. I’m learning not to entertain evil—unspiritual—thoughts or to allow anything not of God to walk with me along this path. It is better to slam the door on ungodlike thoughts when they first appear than to allow them to grow in our thinking. 

I recently had an opportunity to put this into practice. There was some frustration with our daughter’s school regarding the way a particular issue was being handled, so one day I dedicated significant time to praying about this. As my thinking quieted, a new idea came to me. The belief that I was in control and had to make decisions was false. The responsibility didn’t lie with me but with God, and He was already perfectly governing everything in His kingdom. 

This realization calmed me, and I continued to pray, knowing that all was working harmoniously because we all live in God’s perfection. Within minutes I received a message from the school that completely cleared up the issue to their satisfaction and ours. Soon they also let me know that our daughter’s teacher had worked with her individually, and that our daughter had overcome a hurdle she had been struggling with for several months. 

Healings such as those I’ve described are so important to me because they demonstrate the practical application of spiritual truth. The more I practice resting in God’s love, the more aware I am that my life is secure in God. One of the greatest revelations to me is that universal harmony is the reality, and I am so grateful to witness God’s infinite love for me, my family, and the world.

Class instruction opened that door of understanding for me, and I am truly grateful for that life-changing experience.