How I got beyond the words
I had thought that what I needed was an intellectual understanding of Christian Science.
I have been a Christian Scientist my entire life, and I cannot remember a time when I did not feel certain that it was the way of salvation from all ills. But though I tried to be good and to consistently do the right thing, my life felt increasingly difficult and frustrating. Praying felt like a chore and didn’t seem to be taking me anywhere. When I read the weekly Bible Lessons from the Christian Science Quarterly, long-loved truths from the Bible and the Christian Science textbook, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy, were very familiar, yet didn’t appear to have much relevance to my life.
One day, while listening to audio recordings of articles on JSH-Online.com, I came to one that was especially compelling to me. The author, a Christian Science practitioner, was inspired, full of joy, and certain of God’s goodness. I desperately wanted to see what she saw! I called her, and she agreed to pray with me to support my desire to better understand Christian Science and its relevance in my life. Thus began a most amazing journey of discovery.
There was much I needed to let go of in my thinking. Up to this point, I had thought that what I needed was an intellectual understanding of Christian Science. I thought it was like learning things in school: You learned all the material by heart, recited it in time of need, and—voilà!—got yourself a healing. Of course, it had never really worked that way for me, but I figured I just hadn’t learned enough.
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