Although I had been raised in Christian Science, it wasn’t until I was in college that it really became my own. An important moment was the first time I experienced healing through my own prayer.

In my sophomore year, I was living on an urban art school campus when a rash developed on my face. I put up with it for a while, but it was irritating and unsightly. One day in the dining hall, a friend expressed alarm, suggesting that it could spread further and limit my vision. His comment was a jolt, spurring me from negligence to action. 

Alone in my dorm room that evening, I turned to God in prayer, doing my best not to focus on the physical condition. As I reached out for inspiration, these words from the Bible came to me: “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalms 46:10).