I loved Christian Science, but I didn’t always love doing the work of studying and praying.
From a young age, I had a quiet but unshakable conviction that Christian Science, as explained by Mary Baker Eddy, is universal truth. Growing up in a Christian Science family, I experienced its healing power and felt its peace and joy. Belief wasn’t my struggle—but daily motivation was. As I stepped into adulthood and took on more responsibility for my own experience, I found myself often neglecting prayer and study, even though I valued them. I wasn’t trying to walk away; in fact, deep down, I longed to want to pray and study more. But something was preventing that.
I didn’t want to just “fit it in.” I didn’t want to serve God only out of guilt or when I had an urgent need. I wanted to grow in grace and live more fully in step with what I cherished. I knew Christian Science wasn’t just a spiritual medicine bottle to be pulled off the shelf when things got tough. It’s a way of life. By now, I knew that sincere prayer doesn’t just ask for something—it awakens the impulse to grow spiritually. As Mrs. Eddy puts it, “Prayer begets an awakened desire to be and do good” (No and Yes, p. 39).
