Christian Science has indeed given me "beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness" (Isa. 61:3).
When I began the study of Christian Science I did not believe that there was a God, for the concept of God that had been presented to me when I attended an orthodox Sunday school was far from one of love, kindness, and compassion. It seemed an absurdity to say that God is Love, and then say that He sent suffering and grief to make me love Him more. As a young girl I tried to love and understand Him, but after two who were very dear to me passed away in suffering, I sadly put my Bible away, convinced that it was a collection of fairy tales that no thinking person could reconcile with reason.
After I had spent years of suffering both physically and mentally, Christian Science was brought to my notice by the healing in three treatments of a friend who, while visiting me, gave evidence of a very bad case of oak poisoning. My friend's healing made me want to know more about what had healed her. I borrowed the textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" by Mary Baker Eddy, the very day her healing was completed, and began to read it. The first chapter convinced me that here was common sense in the name of religion, but as I continued reading, I found so many of the statements in exact opposition to what I previously had been taught that they seemed impossible of verification. When I became discouraged, however, I recalled the healing of my friend, and went back to my reading.
