I had had an inharmonious relationship with my in-laws for many years. In fact, we did not talk to one another. One day my daughter met them in the store and nobody spoke. During her next visit to me, she related this and we both laughed over the awful things these relatives had done in the past.
After she left, I thought about our conversation and realized that this was not the way I should behave. I was trying to be a better Christian and more spiritually-minded, and I knew I shouldn't be happy to be so unloving. I knew I should at least be striving to do better. I tried to think of some kind things about these people, but I couldn't muster any emotions but bitterness and hostility. I decided I would turn to God and really pray and work on this.
As I prayed I realized I couldn't heal the situation without seeing my in-laws as God's loving children—which I knew is their true nature— and I couldn't seem to do that. Too much had happened; too much unhappiness had been experienced! For a couple of days I stuck to this point of view and felt a smugness that I thought was comforting and honest. Still, I knew this discord wasn't real according to spiritual fact.
After I again went over some of the things that had happened, I thought, I just can't go any further with this prayer. Then the thought came: Well, don't then! Dredge up every single supposed injustice, write it down, think of it for an hour a day; you could even make some up! This was so funny to me that it broke through my smugness. I saw I truly did want a healing; I wanted peace, I wanted to know more about God's spiritual creation, and I wanted to prove dominion over the material senses.
The subject of the Bible Lesson outlined in the Christian Science Quarterly for that week was "Adam and Fallen Man." It helped me understand that not only evil is unreal but also the consciousness of evil. The perfect idea of God, my true identity, could not see or believe in anything that did not reflect God and His spiritual creation.
Each day there was a new thought that became more meaningful as the day progressed. One day it was the realization that this healing would take place in my own consciousness; I did not have to wait for material conditions to change. Another day I saw that God loves these two people just as much as He loves me. I felt so full of God's love that I really did feel as if I could reach out and hug them.
I continued to trust God all the way and gained glorious glimpses of God's perfect creation, but I had more work to do. I humbly had to realize that God did not need my help to maintain harmony, but that I did have to handle lies as they came to thought. One lie I had to deal with was that God was not powerful enough or intelligent enough to solve this problem. But I prayed to know that all is under God's perfect control.
One constant nagging fear was that I was being a fool to forget all that had gone before. I turned wholeheartedly to God for an answer, and the thought came: Do you believe in God? Do you believe in spiritual creation or material evidence? Of course, I knew I believed in God's perfect creation and would stand up for my convictions.
As time went on, I noticed a change of attitude within our immediate family. I was amazed at the change—how family members that before had been so hostile toward these two people suddenly had good and kind things to say. And they were receptive to one another's changed attitudes.
About five weeks after beginning this prayer, I received a loving telephone call from my father-in-law. One of my children went to see my mother-in-law and was received with tears of joy and love. My daughter later said, "I knew that Mind was carrying me along, that it was God's work, and I knew I reflected Him and would know what to say." I was grateful to hear this because I hadn't said anything to anyone up to this point about my prayers.
Two weeks later I went to see my in-laws. Just like my daughter, I felt I was carried along by God. I was received with much love and warmth, and we talked as if ten years had not gone by.
I am absolutely in awe of this healing experience, which took place over six years ago. To think that this reconciliation was brought about by prayer in just a period of two months is truly inspiring.
Hampton, Virginia
I am the daughter who went to visit my grandmother after ten years of no communication. Just as my mother stated, I felt as if God, divine Mind, carried me along and was guiding my actions. The healing of this relationship came about just as my mother stated.
