How do Christian Science practitioners who have families balance the demands of family life with a calling that may mean long hours and irregular schedules, often including weekends and evenings? To judge from several recent interviews with practitioners, the simplest answer is "through prayer."
Quite often, the practice is something of a family affair, and the support and adaptability of a spouse or children mean much. For instance, one wife of a busy practitioner recalled a family picnic prior to a son's departure for a year abroad. Her husband was expecting a call from a patient. When the call was delayed, plans to go to the beach had to be canceled. The husband went to work in his study while the rest of the family had the picnic in the dining room. The wife recalled how the family was feeling pretty glum—until they remembered that the whole family's happiness came from supporting one another in unselfed service and in obedience to God's directing. As it turned out, the afternoon eventually evolved into a particularly memorable unplanned outing.
Additional interviews with practitioners may be found in the February 1992 and July 1991 issues of the Journal.
