After we were married, my husband and I had problems conceiving. We very much wanted a child and prayed about conception being an openness to God and His loving provision, not just about us wanting a “mini-me.” But after two years, there was no pregnancy. Medical testing showed deformity in 99.9 percent of my husband’s sperm. I remember him looking at that small square of paper with its depressing diagnosis. He was silent for a long time, then said, “It only takes one.” In that instant, we had hope.

The Discoverer of Christian Science points out the erroneous nature of matter, stating, “It is only a lack of understanding of the allness of God, which leads you to believe in the existence of matter, or that matter can frame its own conditions, contrary to the law of Spirit” (Mary Baker Eddy, Rudimental Divine Science, pp. 10–11). My husband’s comment reflected the mental position that material conditions were not our bounds. 

Later that year, my employer asked us to move across the country for my job. I was very apprehensive about leaving behind people and church roles that I loved dearly. Then, I read an account of Jesus feeding five thousand people from what appeared to be very limited provisions. I noted that Jesus gave thanks before starting to distribute food to the people—and every single person was filled.