Practicing Christian Science saved my life
It was Wednesday night , and the other young Christian Scientists in the teen group I was part of had decided to attend the evening testimony meeting at church. My reaction was not enthusiastic. But I went because . . . there was a girl I was interested in. As I daydreamed through the readings from the Bible and from Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy during the first half of the meeting, something suddenly caught my attention.
It was the story of David and Goliath—the shepherd boy with his slingshot and a few stones versus the giant. I was picturing this huge warrior in his armor with his spear when, suddenly, that image vanished, and in its place was a bright red vertical neon sign that read: P R O B L E M. Almost instantly, a rock came crashing into the sign, and it exploded into a million pieces.
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Wow. I got David and Goliath in a totally new way. This wasn’t a story about one little good guy beating a big bad guy. This was everyone’s story about how the “rock” (the truth) destroys a lie.
This realization was life-changing. I started regularly reading the weekly Bible Lesson from the Christian Science Quarterly and searching the Bible stories for the subtle lessons that I had previously missed. Instead of just going through the motions, I was thinking about the ideas I was learning and putting them into practice.
Instead of just going through the motions, I was thinking about the ideas I was learning and putting them into practice.
Fast forward ten or so years. It was a cloudy fall day, and a friend invited me to go with him to his family cabin to go waterskiing one last time. I jumped at the invitation and soon was zipping around the virtually deserted lake.
At one point, I decided that I was going to “jump the wake.” I had never tried this trick before, and this was my last chance before winter. This was at a time when many younger skiers didn’t wear life vests, and there wasn’t a spotter in the boat. After all, we were young and felt invincible.
I took a wide swing and came flying toward the wake. I went up in the air and, just at that moment, my buddy turned the boat, jerking me off balance. I crashed full speed into the water. The impact was so powerful that for a few moments, I was knocked unconscious.
When I came to, I was underwater and completely disoriented. With the gray sky overhead, I couldn’t tell which way was up. I started swimming frantically; I hadn’t had time before impact to take a breath.
Suddenly, I heard a shout: “Stop!” Even though I was close to drowning, the shock of hearing that froze me. I didn’t move, and then I felt my natural buoyancy lift me. I had been swimming downward. I twisted my head and could see the lighter surface. I kicked and paddled with everything I had and broke through the water just as an involuntary gasp forced my mouth to open for a breath. One more second and I would have had lungs full of water.
Knowing that God’s care for me was absolute culminated in this life-saving moment of hearing God and knowing instantly to obey.
I looked around and saw that my buddy was circling a full fifty yards away, without a clue where I was.
To quote Mrs. Eddy: “God had been graciously preparing me . . .” (Science and Health, p. 107). My years of studying Christian Science, putting it into practice on a daily basis, and knowing that God’s care for me was absolute all culminated in this life-saving moment of hearing God and knowing instantly to obey.
There have been five other “life and death” moments I’ve faced over the years, but our loving Father has been there as the Principle of protection each and every time. I am so grateful—not only for the times my life has been saved but also for the wonderful joy I’ve found as a student of Christian Science.