Mary Baker Eddy says in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, “Divine Love always has met and always will meet every human need” (p. 494). I’ve always thought of this quote as describing God’s promise to provide mankind unlimited love in every situation. But as a child, I didn’t fully understand how it applied in a practical way—how we not only receive God’s love, but how He guides us to give love and care to others.
While growing up, I was taught to be considerate and caring. But because I was shy and self-conscious, I was often overly focused on the attention, or lack thereof, I received from other people and was afraid that what I had to say would be rejected or dismissed. These insecurities continued into adulthood.
To correct my self-involved feelings in social situations, I would divert focus away from me by giving extra attention, praise, and concern to those around me. This developed into a habit of letting others do all the talking. As friends told me more and more about problems with their health, finances, relationships, etc., I would then feel weighed down with fear and worry, almost as if their problems were my own. Whenever I prayed to recognize that each of my friends is made whole and spiritual, in God’s image and likeness (see Genesis 1:26, 27), my peace of mind would quickly return. However, I found I had to correct my thinking constantly.
