Church—don’t miss out
It wasn’t rebellion; I just didn’t think I was missing anything. Actually, my sparse attendance at Sunday School and church during college was mostly a practical decision. The nearest branch Church of Christ, Scientist, was thirty minutes away. And as far as I was concerned, church was just another activity on my calendar—an hour or two a week spent with a group of people in a bricks and mortar building. I still read the Christian Science Bible Lesson, shared Christian Science with friends, prayed, and had healings. I figured I’d start going to church again later.
Fast forward a few years, and I was in a new town for graduate school. I met a guy at orientation and dated him briefly. Not only did he have zero interest in this part of my life called Christian Science, he was also adamantly opposed to it. Things fell apart quickly. I felt humiliated, stupid, and unbearably lonely.
Shortly after that, I was sitting in my apartment alone, and I felt this powerful sense that I needed to go to church. I can’t remember whether it was a Sunday or a Wednesday, but when I walked through those church doors to an usher’s warm smile, I felt the palpable embrace of divine Love, God. For the first time since I’d arrived in this new town, I felt at home.
Enjoy 1 free Sentinel article or audio program each month, including content from 1898 to today.
