My husband and I had been looking forward to a long-distance race on our sailboat. We had registered with the race committee and practiced. On the morning of the race, however, my husband awoke not feeling well, citing a seasonal allergy known in the region as “cedar fever.”

Disappointed and more than a little annoyed, I canceled with the race committee. After preparing and eating breakfast, I then joined a friend on the telephone to read aloud together that week’s Bible Lesson from the Christian Science Quarterly.

The subject that week was “Love,” and one of the citations was from First John: “God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him” (4:16, Revised Standard Version). For the next half hour, I paid full attention to the words and ideas we were reading. When we finished, I felt like a new person and realized I wasn’t upset anymore.

When I returned to the kitchen, my husband said, “I feel much better. I would like to race.” Somewhat surprised, but delighted, I asked him to let the race committee know.

Long-distance races require stamina, and in addition, we had tickets to attend a benefit at our community theater that evening following the race. To my great joy, we did it all and had a good time.

What had brought about the change? Many sailors who race will tell you that they enjoy it because it requires their full attention. The worries or cares of the day are blown away by the sailor’s need to stay in the moment.

I believe my reading of the Bible Lesson that morning had had a similar effect. When I give my full prayerful attention to the Bible Lesson, I am uplifted. The disappointment and annoyance of the morning were blown away by my need to stay in the moment—in moments filled with the Word of God, which dissolved any negative feelings—and this uplifting of my thought had helped my husband as well.

Mary Baker Eddy, the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, wrote a poem titled “Communion Hymn” that includes this question: “Felt ye the power of the Word?” (Poems, p. 75).

I believe it was the power of God’s Word that I felt as I was reading the Lesson that morning that turned what looked like it would be a disappointing day into one of happy activity.

Robin Engel
Canyon Lake, Texas, US

Although I am not a Christian Scientist, I often feel the benefits of my wife’s practice. The events are as she has recounted them.

Harry Sutherland