My husband was serving in the military when I found Christian Science. We were stationed in Hawaii and had constant visits from friends and family from the mainland. Although we were blessed to have such wonderful connections, our budget was very tight. Our guests had no idea what a strain it was for us to entertain them. At one point, I was looking forward to a two-week period when no visits were scheduled so we could recover a bit.
Before we had a day to ourselves, we received a call from a woman we didn’t know. She had a gift for me from one of my aunts, who worked with her at the airport kitchen. So, my husband and I drove to her hotel on Waikiki Beach, only to find that she had sprained her ankle getting out of the taxi that day and would be confined to a chair in her room for the next two weeks of her vacation. The woman was very nice and reminded my husband of his mother. He felt such a connection that he invited her to come home with us for those two weeks so I could take care of her.
I was consumed with worry about how we could provide for our guest at such an inopportune time.
I resented the fact that my husband had made the offer without consulting me. I managed our finances, so he had no idea how little money we had for our own needs, let alone for company. Nevertheless, we helped her into our car. As we started our journey home, I was consumed with worry about how we could provide for her at such an inopportune time for us. I was wallowing in self-pity and anger.
But somewhere along the drive, I felt my heart change. I had been learning about Christian Science by reading its textbook, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy. In the little I’d read by that time, I’d learned the power of acknowledging the good that is always ours from our Father-Mother God, who is good. As I remembered this, the feeling of being imposed upon lifted and I began to think about how this woman must have felt after planning a vacation in paradise but now not being able to enjoy it.
When we returned home, we made our friend comfortable, had dinner, and helped her upstairs to a guest room. Then, I joyously went back to my study of Science and Health to see how I could further apply this Science to this situation. I read the answer beginning on page 475 that Mrs. Eddy gives to the question, “What is man?” Everywhere the word man appeared in the answer, I thought of our visitor. I especially liked the sentence, “Jesus beheld in Science the perfect man, who appeared to him where sinning mortal man appears to mortals” (pp. 476–477). I realized that that was how I needed to see this new friend.
After spending hours studying the book, I was certain that the next two weeks would be the best ever for everyone involved. All concern about limited funds and our meals disappeared completely.
In the morning, our visitor came down the stairs, radiant and grateful to be able to walk freely again. She couldn’t believe how good she felt. She kept calling it a miracle. We enjoyed her company very much while I played tour guide for the next two weeks. Our kids adored her, and she them. It felt as if she had always been a friend of the family.
At the airport while waiting for her departure, she told me how grateful she was for all the love she had felt while staying with us. And most of all, how grateful she was for feeling part of a family again. Then she told me that she never cooked except while at her job. That’s why, at every meal, she went out of her way to thank me for the home cooking. It had reminded her of her childhood and her own mother’s cooking.
Those two weeks had taught me so much about love that money was no longer a concern. I felt rich without it.
In gratitude, she put some money in my lap that she had set aside for her vacation. I refused to take it, having lost all sense of financial limitation while in the wonderful company of this new friend. Those two weeks had taught me so much about love that money was no longer a concern. I felt rich without it. But she insisted.
What meant more to me than the money was that I’d been able to prove what I’d been learning about divine Love, God, in Christian Science even though I was so new in my study of it. My biggest concern had been our ability to provide nutritious meals suitable for company on such a tight budget. But that concern completely vanished as I felt God’s love and saw Love supply all we needed, and so much more.
Since that time, I have had many more experiences evidencing God’s dear love and provision. I will always be grateful for all that Christian Science has shown me.
