One morning a few years ago, I awoke with a headache. Despite a full schedule, I decided to stay home and pray with Mary Baker Eddy’s statement from Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, “Divine Love always has met and always will meet every human need” (p. 494).
I chose this passage because I was having a hard time seeing that this statement was true. In particular, I was concerned about some family members who were struggling with issues I couldn’t seem to help them with. I decided to look up each word of the statement in a dictionary to gain a deeper understanding of it.
I got only as far as the first word in my research before I had the answer I needed! I found that one meaning of the word divine is “directly from God.” I had such a clear sense that God’s love comes directly to each one of us. It doesn’t have to come through anyone else. We all have an indestructible, direct relation with God. No one can interfere with it, and no one is needed to boost or improve it. We are each inseparable from divine Love’s direct care.
After praying with these ideas for a while, I felt peaceful. The sense of burden regarding my relatives lifted, and the headache disappeared. Later, I learned that my relatives found the answers they needed that day—each of them in the way that was appropriate for their individual situation.
This experience has helped me to be more patient and supportive of others. Where I might have jumped in with advice in the past, I’m more ready to be still and know that God is speaking directly to everyone around me. It’s a lesson I’m continuing to learn, but it’s one that has brought much blessing already. God is Love, and Love’s direct, loving connection with us does meet every human need.
Heidi Snow
