All my life I’ve experienced different kinds of separations from very close members of my family (husband, children, mother), all of them because of different reasons. Some were planned separations, others imposed by unexpected circumstances; some were temporary, others were final. I’ve noticed that all of these experiences have compelled me to grow spiritually, to search for answers beyond matter. They have showed me that truly “trials are proofs of God’s care” (Mary Baker Eddy, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 66), because I see that suffering is not of God, and that opening our eyes to see God’s mercy helps us find healing.
In all those cases mentioned above, I needed to reorganize my human life again. There were times of great demands, spiritual study, and progress. There were times that pushed me to go deeper, to get a more spiritual understanding of family. What is its basis? How much do we allow God to govern us in our family relations? Mary Baker Eddy wrote: “There is moral freedom in Soul. Never contract the horizon of a worthy outlook by the selfish exaction of all another’s time and thoughts.… Home is the dearest spot on earth, and it should be the centre, though not the boundary, of the affections” (Science and Health, p. 58).
God’s comfort is active, joyful, expectant of good.
