I can remember when I thought becoming a Mother Church member was going into some form of seclusion. There were so many things I wanted to try—things not necessarily in tune with church membership! Why restrict myself?
But my fears proved to be unfounded. By the time I was in my 20s, I had already begun to find that the things I thought were so interesting turned out to be of very little value or importance. I decided to join the Church, and now, many years later, I can honestly say that there has never been a moment when I regretted that decision. In fact, my only regret is that I didn’t do it earlier! The great advantage of membership, I found, is the immediate support one feels in becoming part of a great cause. As a springboard gives a diver the altitude he or she needs to carry out a complex maneuver, so Mother Church membership can give a student of Christian Science a boost toward discovering more of what God has planned for His children.
A Sunday School teacher once mentioned “spiritual maturity” to me in connection with Mother Church membership. At that time, maturity meant to me being resigned to working all the time at some job I hated, instead of enjoying life. Now I think I can see a bit more clearly what my Sunday School teacher was trying to describe. Spiritual maturity involves a decision to take a stand for what is right, to dedicate one’s life to a good purpose. Who wouldn’t want to do that?
