About five years ago I was experiencing some physical problems owing to menopause. Although for about a year the problems didn’t disrupt any part of my life, there came a time when that changed. There were moments when I was fearful and worried about my well-being, and I longed to feel close to God, to know that God was caring for me, and to feel His love.
I found comfort in the writings of Mary Baker Eddy, the Discoverer of Christian Science, where she describes God as our Mother, as well as our Father. I also found comfort in definitions of man—the generic term for men, women, and children—found in Mary Baker Eddy’s textbook on Christian Science, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures. For instance, the marginal heading for one of the paragraphs in the chapter called “Genesis” reads, “Ideal man and woman.” This paragraph explains that man is spiritual and that “masculine, feminine, and neuter genders are human concepts” (p. 516). I felt it important to understand the “ideal man and woman” as spiritual and to focus less attention on the male or female human concepts.
This idea in particular spoke to me: “The ideal woman corresponds to Life and to Love” (Science and Health, p. 517). I held on to these spiritual definitions and challenged any thoughts that would creep in that I should suffer simply because I was a woman. I also loved knowing that Jesus healed many women of all sorts of ailments, as well as men, proving both sexes are equally valued.
