Depressed no more

Just before I was introduced to Christian Science, I was very irritable and would easily become upset. Furthermore, I often felt very depressed and anxious, to the point of being too afraid to go out in the streets. When my husband and my son weren’t home, I felt lonely and I cried. Also, two of my brothers had died, and I felt nostalgic about the time we’d had together.

My sister was a student of Christian Science, and she often talked to me about God. One day, she gave me a copy of Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy, but I didn’t read it right away. Then I realized that I was unable to overcome feeling depressed without God’s help. I saw that I needed to deepen my spiritual knowledge, so I opened the book and started reading.

The ideas in Science and Health completely changed my life. For example, I cherished the concept of God as our Father-Mother, our guide and strength, and that He is always with us. Before I’d read about these ideas, I thought about God only when I faced certain types of challenges, and I believed that I should simply accept suffering as a part of life.

One of the first lessons I learned from studying Science and Health is that we find solutions to problems when we change our thinking. In other words, when negative thoughts attempt to fill our consciousness with false beliefs about the power of evil, disease, limitation, and death, we can replace these with good thoughts from God. The result is healing, joy, and renewal. But first, we need to make room for these good thoughts.

Jesus taught the importance of doing this through a parable. He said that nobody puts new wine in old bottles because they break and the wine runs out; but you put new wine into new bottles. That way both are preserved (see Matthew 9:17).

Mary Baker Eddy explains: “Divine Science does not put new wine into old bottles, Soul into matter, nor the infinite into the finite. Our false views of matter perish as we grasp the facts of Spirit. The old belief must be cast out or the new idea will be spilled, and the inspiration, which is to change our standpoint, will be lost” (Science and Health, pp. 281–282).

The new ideas I was learning in Christian Science began to put out thoughts of fear and sadness, and fill my consciousness with thoughts from God. I began to love myself because I understood that God loves me, even though I’d made mistakes in the past. I understood, too, that our being is spiritual, that we are created by infinite Mind, God, and that we can never be separated from His love. This helped me overcome the sadness I felt for my brothers’ passings, and I realize that they are still growing spiritually in their knowledge of God.

With my daily study of the Bible and Science and Health, I began to understand more of my spiritual identity, little by little, and my disposition started to change. I stopped worrying so much, and the depressed feelings completely disappeared.

Prayer gives me the tranquility and peace to cope with the day-to-day challenges we tend to face. Those challenges no longer seem so insurmountable because I know that God gives me the strength, the necessary words, and the ideas I need to solve them.

My family and friends noticed the gradual change in my character. I’m no longer easily irritated and prone to yelling as I was before. Now, harmony reigns in my home. This healing happened several years ago and remains complete.

As a result of this new way of thinking, I’ve been able to help other people. For instance, a friend of mine was very sad because her daughter was told by doctors that she couldn’t have children. I talked to my friend about God, and how Science and Health had helped me not to worry. I told her that her daughter was pure and perfect, and that nothing could prevent her from expressing good. I also gave my friend a copy of Science and Health.

Every time I saw my friend, she would tell me that she was praying for her daughter every day. A few months later, I ran into her and she hugged me very happily. She told me that her daughter was pregnant and had told her it was a miracle. I told my friend, “God never forsakes us!” Shortly after, this friend began attending a Christian Science church.

There are no limits on what we can achieve through prayer because God is everywhere and always present. I’m very grateful because I can be in communion with God all the time—on the bus, in the street, wherever I may be.

Isabel Herrera
Lima, Peru