When I was in graduate school, I used to go to the Reading Room in a nearby town to read the weekly Bible Lesson from the Christian Science Quarterly.
One day, I noticed a woman there in the study room with the Quarterly open and the marked Lesson books in front of her (the Bible and the Christian Science textbook, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy). Before she opened the books, she closed her eyes and said to herself: “Dear God, thank you for this beautiful gift.” She said it in such a heartfelt, humble way. It sounded to me as though studying the Lesson was the most important thing she was doing that day; it was a special gift from God that she would cherish and put into practice.
I thought that this was a great way to begin the Lesson! In the past, I had sometimes felt that studying the Lesson was routine. I didn’t acknowledge the importance of it, or the fact that our Leader, Mrs. Eddy, had unselfishly provided this channel of enlightenment, instruction, and daily renewal for those following Christ Jesus’ teachings. Of course, each prayer is of the moment and different based on that day’s inspiration, but now, before I begin the Lesson, I pray something along these lines:
