Through Christian Science I have received a developing sense of direction and purpose in my life. I feel this has been an invaluable gift, and it makes me deeply grateful for the fact that Mrs. Eddy conveyed her discovery of the Science of Christ to the world.
During my childhood my mother occasionally requested help for me in Christian Science. In my early teens I attended Sunday School for two consecutive years during which this Science was presented to me in an orderly way. At that time I also read all of Science and Health by Mrs. Eddy. Although on the surface it seemed that I was not absorbing or appreciating the teaching, I now know that what I heard was taking root in my consciousness.
But the gravitation to material thinking seemed strong in my experience, and I was led into illusive orbits far from God. In my college years I looked for joy, satisfaction, and the meaning of life through the physical senses and material knowledge and found instead restlessness, disappointment, and a sense of emptiness. I dabbled in various academic subjects and the arts; however, no clear sense of direction appeared, and nothing held my attention completely.
But the still small voice was there in my consciousness, and during my senior year it often led me to a Christian Science Reading Room. I did not truly understand what I read; in fact, I often thought I just could not understand it, although I now realize that the attraction to the Reading Room was evidence of the power of the Christ, which dispels darkness.
After graduating from college I was led to have some talks with a practitioner. I was troubled at the time with recurring nightmares, a susceptibility which was healed immediately when I studied a reference she gave me from Mrs. Eddy's writings. On page 61 of "Retrospection and Introspection," after referring to the possibility of awakening and feeling ill as the result of fear in one's thoughts, Mrs. Eddy says, "But if you fall asleep, actually conscious of the truth of Christian Science,— namely, that man's harmony is no more to be invaded than the rhythm of the universe, —you cannot awake in fear or suffering of any sort."
A little later I experienced a condition of nervous exhaustion which was healed within a month through the work of the same practitioner. The thought that came to me most clearly during the experience was that God was the governing and directing influence in my life. I felt I could let go, place myself in His care, and cease trying to outline personally. I sensed an overall design or pattern in which every individual idea is harmoniously placed. After this I turned in the right direction and began to love and to study the Lesson-Sermons, which are found in the Quarterly. I shall always be grateful for this healing.
A few years later while temporarily living overseas with my husband, who was serving in the Army, I began to attend church regularly. Those church services and the love expressed by Scientists in the countries I was visiting served to awaken in me a love for The Mother Church and its worldwide activities. Soon afterward I became a member of it. Branch church membership has also brought a valuable opportunity for spiritual growth.
The suggestion of my being unreceptive to the spiritual meaning of Christian Science used to come frequently. Now it is rapidly disappearing. It is a joy to know that spiritual sense does develop and become dominant in consciousness. When confronted with the beautiful light of God, material pursuits and aims pale and begin to fade out.
I am so very, very thankful to be convinced that the way to find joy, peace, and purpose in life is the study and demonstration of Christian Science. While I feel I am just at the beginning of a great adventure, it is wonderful to know that the infinite kingdom of God is at hand and is unfolding forever.— Cincinnati, Ohio.
