Q: What can I do if I feel I’ve chosen the wrong teacher while in class instruction, or in the years that follow?
A: I believe that Mary Baker Eddy in her wisdom and love provided the answer to this question for any student who feels disappointed in his or her experience of Primary class teaching. She writes in The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany: “God is above your teacher, your healer, or any earthly friend. Follow the directions of God as simplified in Christian Science, and though it be through deserts He will direct you into the paths of peace” (pp. 360–361). This is loving counsel that is in complete accord with this message from the Gospel of John: “It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God” (6:45).
The understanding of the impersonal nature of both the teacher and the teaching is a necessary step if the student is to advance spiritually. In my own experience, I found the time after class instruction challenging as my teacher passed away within months of the close of our class. This forced me to turn to God and to understand that He was truly my teacher—just as He was my teacher’s teacher. As I look back now, I know it was the catalyst that sent me forward spiritually and provided me with the wonderful sense of God’s companioning me in the work of healing.
