Our family had moved to a new country, and our children were attending the local school, where they had to learn a new language. In spite of the challenges, they were happy and were learning quickly. 

Then one day both of my children came home from school complaining about a particular boy and his friends and their behavior during recess. The boys were playing a game they called “l’attrape filles,” or “catch the girls.” My daughters didn’t understand this game, but they knew they didn’t like it. The boys were being too aggressive with them—pulling, pushing, and “locking them up.” Initially, I chalked it up to a cultural and linguistic misunderstanding and encouraged the children to figure it out and stand up for themselves. 

On our walk to school each day we also talked about loving unconditionally, seeing the good in others, and practicing the Golden Rule (see Matthew 7:12). I asked them if they could look for the good things that they saw this little boy and his friends do, since that goodness pointed to the boys’ purely good, harmless nature as children of God. It felt natural to encourage my girls along these lines since throughout my own life, I’ve seen many times how a clearer view of someone’s Godlike, spiritual nature brings healing to difficult situations.

My daughters worked hard at it. But this game they didn’t like at recess continued. They felt singled out because they were the new girls, and they developed a fear of recess. 

I spoke to the teachers. The teachers hadn’t been aware of what was going on and suggested I speak to the parents. I had been praying all along, but now my prayers took on new urgency. I wanted to approach the situation in the right way. One Bible story that gave me direction was Daniel in the lions’ den (see Daniel 6). I knew that just as Daniel had been called to fulfill God’s purpose and was protected in doing so, these children were also safe because they were serving God’s purpose for them each day at school. I prayed to know that God created each one of them perfect and pure, so they could not harm each other—just as the lions couldn’t harm Daniel because of his purity.

I hadn’t been praying this way for very long when the mother of the leader of the boys came to me and told me that her son had been describing a new game he’d been playing with these new girls at school. She didn’t think it sounded good. She then asked him if the girls liked the game, and he assured her they did. She was kind enough to have a loving conversation with me about the situation. I told her that actually, my girls didn’t like the game at all. When she explained this to her son, he wrote a letter of apology and changed his behavior. 

His mother also invited the girls over to their house for a play date. I wasn’t sure if my children would accept the invitation, but they did. This gave me a good opportunity to talk about forgiveness, and how Jesus taught us how to forgive. We all went to his house, and the children had a wonderful time playing together. It’s now over a year later, and this little boy and the others have continued to play nicely with my children, and they love recess at school again. (You can read my daughter’s testimony about this experience on page 13.)

Every time I see this mother, I’m grateful that she had the courage and humility to speak to me about how her son treated my girls. I’m also grateful for the lessons my children have learned in the Christian Science Sunday School. This healing helped us put some of the truths they learn each week into practice and demonstrate the practical effects of prayer in our daily life.

Clementine Lue Clark 
Coppet, Switzerland