Of Good Report

Soon after my girlfriend accepted my proposal of marriage, it suddenly occurred to me with great gravity that we would need a place to live after we were married. To a young man preparing to embark on such a big change in his life, this, momentarily, seemed daunting to say the least.

One day the plastic band on my very cheap wristwatch broke, and I stopped into a jeweler to ask if they had a replacement. The salesperson basically laughed at me for such a silly request.

In the Bible, two fishermen, Simon Peter and Andrew, had worked all night fishing, but their nets came up empty. In the morning, Jesus, relying on the wisdom of his heavenly Father, God, said to Peter, “Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught” ( Luke 5:4 ).

When I moved into temporary accommodation from a house I had lived in for over twenty years, I suddenly began to experience feelings of homesickness, loss, and deep regret for having made the decision to leave. At times, this felt overwhelming.

The Scriptures abound with accounts of the healing ministry of God’s angels. And the textbook of Christian Science, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy, defines angels as “God’s thoughts passing to man; spiritual intuitions, pure and perfect; the inspiration of goodness, purity, and immortality, counteracting all evil, sensuality, and mortality” ( p.

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.

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 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.

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