Christian Science came into my life at a time of need. It was an answer to prayer, to my deep yearning to know God better. A friend gave me a copy of Science and Health by Mrs. Eddy. Reading it, I learned of the motherhood of God, and of God as Mind—totally new concepts to me. I began to read the Bible Lessons in the Christian Science Quarterly. Many articles in the Christian Science periodicals were timely and helpful.
Occasionally, I called a Christian Science practitioner for help in working out a better sense of family, home, and relationships. Clearly, I needed to replace a personal sense of motherhood with a better understanding of God as man's true Parent. One morning, our teen-age daughter left the house and didn't return. I called the practitioner, who shared many statements of truth and assured me that our daughter was God's child, under His care every moment. She also said that there were no runaways in the kingdom of heaven, and that as a child of God, our daughter had an exquisite chaperone. I had been concerned, and now I was being forced to trust God's care of her.
As the days went on, I was encouraged to mentally put the whole family on God's side and to put all the arguments of error on the other side, the outside. It was pointed out that I must expunge the picture of error. There were suggestions of guilt, failure, and fear to be handled. I realized how important it was to keep my thinking Godlike. In reality, as children of God not one of us was guilty. It did no good to blame anyone or to ruminate over the past.
Necessary human footsteps were taken, including leaving descriptions of our daughter at appropriate places in a nearby city. And later, when we did some traveling, we were always on the lookout, stopping at police stations along the way. I was impressed by the kindness of friends and total strangers. One day we received a phone call from a young woman we'd never met. She had talked to our daughter, read the description, and called to let us know. From talking to the woman we knew for certain that it was our daughter she had seen. My husband and I were very grateful for this evidence that she was alive.
The practitioner helped me expand my sense of family, and I welcomed young people who came to our home. One day a friend of our daughter's brought me flowers, and I was deeply moved. Whenever I saw young people standing around on the street or hitchhiking, I would pray to see the perfect child of God right there. Gradually, I realized that life goes on. I saw more clearly that our Father-Mother God was caring for all.
A lot of time was spent in quiet prayer, listening for God's thoughts. I continued to affirm that God, the one Parent, was nourishing, protecting, and guiding His children. Many beautiful passages from the Bible, Mrs. Eddy's writings, and the hymns in our Christian Science Hymnal were a source of comfort and strength to me.
Still, as days went by, the nagging thought kept coming that I should be doing something more to find our daughter. Yet I knew instinctively that we'd see her again at the time that was right for all concerned. One day I went to a Christian Science Reading Room, picked up an issue of the Christian Science Sentinel, and read an article on the subject of what we can do for our children. It reminded readers that we don't have to go after the lost sheep, divine Love does. This was my answer. I felt uplifted. Many times I pondered Mrs. Eddy's statement (The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany, p. 166), "When we are willing to help and to be helped, divine aid is near."
I continued to watch my thoughts and conversation regarding our daughter. Once while I was talking to friends, something was said that roused me to see that I must not resign myself to living with a problem, but must keep working out the solution. Gradually, as I turned to God wholeheartedly, I discovered a deep, inner calmness and joy that had nothing to do with people or events. During this period I joined The Mother Church and a branch church.
Later, however, I hit the lowest point in this experience when a rash developed on my body. I called a practitioner and we worked with the definition of "Gethsemane." It includes these words (Science and Health, p. 586): ". . . the human yielding to the divine; love meeting no response, but still remaining love." While this had been the lowest point, it was also the turning point for me. The rash disappeared. A line from the Hymnal kept coming to mind (No. 51): "The longing to be good and true/Has brought the light again." I began to give up outlining how, when, and where I'd see our daughter again. She had been gone nearly two years now. (We found out subsequently that she had sent two letters, which we never received.) I cherished her all the more in my heart and felt a special tenderness and love for her.
Later on, I called another practitioner, who helped me. Using the Concordances to the Bible, Mrs. Eddy's writings, and the Hymnal, we researched the words joy, expectation, and hope. One day the hymn that tells us "Joy cometh in the morning" was a source of inspiration (No. 425). The next morning I woke up with a joyous feeling that all was well. A couple of days later, the practitioner advised me to put myself in God's hands that day and do His will. And so I humbly and earnestly prayed, asking God to use me in the way of His choosing. Very gently and naturally it dawned on me that God is merciful, that I could trust Him totally.
That same morning I went on an errand. On arriving home, I was greeted at the door with the wonderful news that our daughter had just phoned. I was filled with awe, and with deep, loving gratitude to God. We learned later that our daughter had felt impelled to call us. Truly, Love had found the lost sheep. She returned home and our family was reunited. In due time her education was resumed, and it continued in ways that could never have been humanly predicted. Since then, I am often reminded of God's words in the book of Joel (2:25), "I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten."
I am thankful for the prayers of the practitioners, who were on the job and ready to help at any time. I am grateful, too, for the prayers of friends, relatives, and strangers. Class instruction in Christian Science has also been a wonderful blessing. Gratitude for this healing brought forth a desire to be of greater service to God, which led me to become a Christian Science nurse. Headaches which had plagued me for many years gradually disappeared as I gained a better understanding of God as the one Mind. How grateful I am for Christ Jesus, and for his disciple Mrs. Eddy, who discovered and explained the Science of Jesus' healing works.
Concord, California
