When I was in college, several of my close friends began taking Primary class instruction in Christian Science. This made me think about the step, and, rather quickly, I identified a teacher (whom a close friend had also selected) and applied. I was accepted for his class, which began in a month, but became quite ill the week before. Calling a Christian Science practitioner for prayerful support, I shared that surely this was animal magnetism trying to keep me out of class. After several days of praying, she rather surprisingly (to me and, she later shared, herself) responded: “Or the angels not wanting you to go in!”

That message seemed bizarre, but I trusted her deep commitment to listening to God. I decided to pray—really for the first time—about the very important step of class instruction. It came rather quickly that this was not the right time or teacher, and once I’d realized this, the teacher graciously allowed me to withdraw. I had some serious praying to do to make sure that God, not personal opinion, was indeed leading me.

That following year, I spent much time quietly asking God for direction, affirming that Love alone could and would answer this deepening desire. One morning I awoke with this beatitude strongly in thought: “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled” (Matthew 5:6). I felt prompted to go to a Christian Science Reading Room, and I will never forget standing in the doorway and asking God where to sit, knowing I was being divinely led. A certain chair suddenly seemed like the right choice; as I sat down, the thought came to open a nearby copy of the Sentinel. The first article’s title was that same beatitude. Wow. With tears of humility I knew the author had to be a Christian Science teacher and my future teacher—and indeed she was.

Within a short time there was an opportunity to visit the part of the country where this teacher lived, and after an interview so filled with love, kindness, and even laughter, she accepted me for her class the following summer. Cherishing this holy time of preparation, I could see how my thought needed to be spiritualized.

I spent much time quietly asking God for direction.

Class was a sacred time. God’s directive to Moses to “put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground” (Exodus 3:5) came to thought many times. One of the most affirming signs of this occurred each morning when my teacher opened with the Lord’s Prayer following silent prayer, then would share what had come to her during those prayerful moments. Each of the twelve days, almost identical thoughts had come to me as well. The understanding of only one Mind was not only being taught, but vividly illustrated.

One more confirmation of how Mind leads us for these life-shaping 12 days, occurred shortly after class when I visited my mom in another part of the country. After I told her my news of having taken class instruction, she said “Wait here,” then produced a large number of letters I hadn’t seen before. They were an exchange between her and my teacher some years before, which had resulted in the healing of a serious heart condition I had known nothing about. Another “holy ground” moment.

As a young single person, class instruction and the clarity and commitment of attending the yearly association meeting gave structure and grounding to my life. It didn’t matter if jobs changed and new cities were called home. Class and association were my anchor, and have continued to be through the years.