“Every trial of our faith in God makes us stronger. The more difficult seems the material condition to be overcome by Spirit, the stronger should be our faith and the purer our love” (Mary Baker Eddy, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 410). At one time I felt up against the most difficult situation I had ever faced, and I knew that only by growing much stronger in faith and finding a purer sense of love would I be able to overcome the grief and shock of it all.
About 34 years ago my husband and I were vacationing with our daughter several hours from our home. Shortly after arriving at a beach, my husband announced he was going for a swim and disappeared without a trace. When he didn’t return after an hour or so, I became very fearful and notified the lifeguards, police, and coast guard. But no one was able to find him.
When it became clear that my husband was missing, my thought immediately went to this stanza from a poem by Mrs. Eddy I knew and loved, titled “Christ My Refuge”:
