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During one of the most challenging times of my life, God’s angels were at hand, proving the truth in the following words of Hymn 9 in the Christian Science Hymnal:  He knows the angels that you need,        And sends them to your side,        To comfort, guard and guide.                      (Violet Hay, © CSBD) In Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy defines angels in part as “God’s thoughts passing to man; spiritual intuitions, pure and perfect” ( p.

Several years ago, as I got out of bed one morning and began to walk downstairs, I felt discomfort, slight stiffness, and pain in the area of my ankles and lower legs. The first thought I had was that I should walk around a bit to loosen up; and then the word degenerative came to mind.

We’d known for months that our elder son and his wife, who was pregnant with our first grandchild, were moving to Australia. I thought I was prepared for this, but two days before they left, I was in deep mourning because it felt like another loss in a series of losses after my parents and several dear friends had passed on in recent years.

Late one Saturday night, sitting alone at my desk, I was dreading what I’d agreed to do the next morning—substitute teach a class of teenagers at a Christian Science Sunday School.   I’d done many tough things in life, including covering civil wars as The Christian Science Monitor ’s Africa correspondent and giving speeches to large audiences.

I awoke dreading the day. I was facing responsibilities that I wasn’t looking forward to.

Christian Science Sunday Schools are a vital way for children and teenagers to nurture growth in understanding and proving Christ’s healing message. For many people, their Sunday School education lays the foundation for a lifetime of spiritual growth, healing, and loving their neighbor.

The textbook of Christian Science, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, defines day as “the irradiance of Life; light, the spiritual idea of Truth and Love” (Mary Baker Eddy, p. 584 ).

I had been struggling for a while. I’d set my sights on a career in marine biology, but after I graduated from college, finding paid work in my desired field was a challenge.

In telling The parable of the sower, Jesus says, “A sower went forth to sow; and when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up” ( Matthew 13:3, 4 ). He explains that this refers to those who do not understand God’s word, or to what may be called an unreceptive state of thought.

“Eternal Truth is changing the universe” (Mary Baker Eddy, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 255 ).