Frenemies? Or God’s children?

I didn’t want to go back. I’d taken a semester away during college—living in another city and working two jobs in publishing. It had been one of the best experiences of my life, and even though I loved my school, I was not looking forward to returning.

Mainly it was a friend thing. My friends at school were sometimes unpredictable—unexpectedly excluding me or making me feel bad about myself. It had happened a lot the year before, and it was even harder to think of returning to those dynamics now that I had a group of friends in my new city who didn’t act that way.

One day, the week before I had to leave, I was lamenting my departure yet again when a line from a hymn stopped me in my mental tracks: “Father, where Thine own children are, / I love to be” (Mary Baker Eddy, Poems, p. 13).

Enjoy 1 free Sentinel article or audio program each month, including content from 1898 to today.

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Beat exam stress
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Sexual assault: what YOU can do
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The best graduation gift
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Start with love
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Love gets through
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Worth the repetition
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No worries
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No limits
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Can we heal prejudice?
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How can we pray about suicide?
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Better judgment
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Under pressure
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‘How can I have a healing?’
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The ultimate comfort

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