Articles

One of Jesus’ teachings that I find most difficult to obey is loving the way he asks us to love—to truly love our enemies, our neighbors, and ourselves. I often asked myself how I could possibly love someone who had committed heinous crimes against humanity.

Have you ever glanced in the mirror and seen a blemish, only to find it was just a smudge on the mirror?   My mother, a student of Christian Science, once found a coworker looking in a bathroom mirror, distressed at the state of her complexion. Filled with compassion, my mom told her that she was the image of God.

As a child , I struggled with homesickness at various times. This went on for years.

I rolled the last ball of snow to finish a snowman for our three-year-old son in the front yard of our home. This was a new experience for us, since we’d moved across the country to New England for my husband’s job.

As a young bride from the Midwestern United States, I never imagined that one day I’d find myself living overseas in a military compound, but that’s what happened. My new husband, a US naval officer, was stationed in the Philippines soon after we were married, and I joined him months later on the naval base.

In the remote area where I live, two days of rain were forecasted, a welcome soak for my newly planted trees. But the forecast was later updated to a nor’easter, a strong storm with high winds.

Expressing gratitude is a deeply nourishing practice that brings with it indescribable power. In America, my country, Thanksgiving is celebrated each November by expressing gratitude.

The word selah is used over 70 times in the book of Psalms . I had always overlooked it, until I became First Reader at my branch Church of Christ, Scientist, and I began to search the Bible more deeply in preparation for the Sunday and Wednesday services.

Do you sometimes feel as if you just can’t take any more bad news? One day I realized I could see each challenge as a prayer assignment—a call for prayer—and that I should be not only willing, but happy, to answer each call. It occurred to me that when Jesus was about to ascend, he did not say to the disciples, “Well, I’m leaving.

Healing through prayer is practical. It relies, like any functional system, on basic, applicable laws.