Of Good Report

I have always loved to ski. When I lived in Oregon, I enjoyed going on guided ski trips that went to undeveloped mountains with slopes not served by ski lifts.

For a year I had been studying for a degree in business administration in Havana, and it was time to deliver my final thesis, an essay. I had spent some months preparing.

One of the final instructions Jesus gave to one of his followers was: “Feed my sheep” ( John 21:17 ). He was asking for his work of healing to be continued—to show others God’s great love for them.

Freshman writing class 101. Ten-page paper due every week for one solid quarter.

One of the things I love most about Christian Science is the freedom it gives us to express joy.   Last Christmas, I learned to think about joy and freedom from a new perspective.

My hybrid vehicle stopped running, and the mechanics couldn’t find the problem. The next day, my smartphone failed to reboot, and I was without needed data and connection.

“Will you teach the youngest Sunday School class of three-year-olds?” asked the Sunday School superintendent over the phone. I’d had minimal contact with children and no idea how to teach that age group.

I was enjoying the company of a woman seated next to me on a long flight. She was going to visit her mother and sisters in Germany, where she had grown up.

The flight attendant ran down the aisle while the pilot sternly advised all passengers to return to our seats and buckle our seatbelts. As I sat there on this flight, seatbelt buckled, with the plane jerking back and forth, up and down, I turned my thought to God.

Raising a family of three active boys brought many opportunities to turn to divine Love in prayer. What I was learning of God and man through the study of Christian Science was both preventative and curative in maintaining the boys’ well-being.