DURING MY TEEN YEARS I faced emotional setbacks, which made me confused about God's role in my life. I was very shy and within myself, and I had low selfesteem. I didn't really talk to anyone except my close friends, and my friends weren't always high quality. In middle school, my parents divorced. Although I was glad they weren't living together any more, I was still angry and resentful toward them and also toward my three older siblings. At the beginning of high school, I had a brief bout with anorexia and continued to obsess over my weight and physical appearance. Later, I got a taste of smoking, drinking, and physical relationships.
When I was 15, my mom met and married our stepdad. I recently learned that at the time my mom had been doing a lot of behind-the-scenes praying for our family, and an immense amount of good came into my life very quickly. I was curious about where all this good came from. As I reflect on this now, I am certain that the wonderful opportunities that opened up to me, like going to a Christian Science boarding school and camp, and later to a great college, were all from God, the source of all good—and not just coincidences.
Yet, being raised in Christian Science did not automatically make me a Christian Scientist, although it inspired me to be one. I'd attended Christian Science Sunday Schools, private schools, and camps by choice, but for a long time I resisted turning to God. I believed He and I couldn't have a relationship. I thought prayer worked for others, but not for me. Eventually, I learned how God teaches and loves me, and I decided to make Christian Science my own.
