Visiting one of the homes of the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, Mary Baker Eddy, I was impressed by the docent’s description of her reliance on the Bible as her go-to for direction and truth. The docent remarked, “Imagine if you treated the Bible the way you treat your smartphone.”
That comment brought a laugh from those on the tour. We knew from experience the tendency to constantly check these devices for weather reports, news, seeing what friends are up to, finding out how to fix something, doing historical fact-checks, etc., on continual repeat. The remark also brought discomfort at realizing how trivial our devotion to these pursuits can be and how it can keep us from nurturing the habitual consideration of more vital questions.
In the isolation of the simple house in North Groton, New Hampshire, where Eddy once lived—in poor health, with her husband often absent and her son completely separated from her after his foster parents relocated with him—she found herself continually confronted by existential questions. She was seeking an understanding of God that would answer the kinds of questions we might be asking ourselves today: What is really going on? Who am I? What am I here for?
