Last year, I was walking in the Boston Common with my friend Kim. We were talking about our college classes, and out of the blue, she asked: "How do Christian Scientists pray about swine flu? Do you have a special prayer for it?" I replied that we didn't have prayers for specific illnesses but that you could pray about anything from the basis that God is in control, and that everyone expresses His completeness.
Then she asked: "So you can pray about virtually everything? Not just diseases, but also depression or loneliness?"
Kim's question struck a chord with me. I had been having a rough semester. My friends and I were really busy, which meant we rarely got to see each other. And instead of praying about feeling lonely, I was just moping around, feeling sorry for myself. Kim's question reminded me that I didn't need to be a passive bystander; I could be praying about loneliness right now. I saw that I wasn't hopeless or stuck in a sad situation, and this wake-up call helped me end the semester on a much happier note.
