I became acquainted with Christian Science a little over a decade ago. Like many people, I was searching for the truth. I had taken courses and read books about different religions and philosophies, and I was practicing a philosophy that basically said I was God: If my thoughts were good, things would go well. If not, they would go badly. This was a heavy burden on my shoulders.
I was facing tremendous challenges at the time: a job loss, great loneliness, and the care of a young daughter with a chronic respiratory disease. As a single mother, I felt overwhelmed.
One day I couldn’t take it anymore, and in a moment of clarity I knew that I wasn’t God – I wasn’t the creator or governor of anything. I fell to my knees, saying, “God, if You exist, please show me.” Then a name came to thought: Mary Baker Eddy.
I could not recall having ever heard or read this name before, but I learned through an internet search that she was the discoverer of Christian Science and that Christian Science teaches that there is one all-loving, all-powerful, incorporeal God, who governs man and the universe.
This search led me to a lecture in Spanish called “The healing power of Truth” on YouTube. At the time, I didn’t know it was a Christian Science lecture, but I listened. The lecture was truly an hour of healing. I was so grateful that I emailed the lecturer to thank him. He answered right away and told me that he would send me the Christian Science textbook, “Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures” by Mrs. Eddy.
When the book arrived, I began to eagerly read it. I remember feeling God’s love welcoming me as if with open arms, and reading this opening sentence in the Preface: “To those leaning on the sustaining infinite, to-day is big with blessings” (p. vii). The book was truly a gift, because it spoke of our ability to rely on a support beyond ourselves – an infinite, divine support, or God – rather than on our own expertise or intelligence or on material reasoning. This filled me with peace.
I couldn’t stop reading this book. I discovered truths that not only were very practical but also helped me look at everything differently – that is, from a spiritual perspective. The message of the Bible became clearer. I understood that divine Love is the sustaining infinite and that my life was overflowing with good from God.
As a result, I had a complete change of thought. I was full of joy.
Shortly after, I got a job offer that I accepted. It was a beautiful job that blessed many children where I live in Mexico and filled me with inspiration. Moreover, it allowed me time to continue reading Science and Health and to participate in my daughter’s activities at school. That was a healing in itself. Science and Health says, “Divine Love always has met and always will meet every human need” (p. 494), and I was witnessing how this Love was meeting my family’s needs in a very practical and immediate way.
My encounter with the truths in the Christian Science textbook and those in the Bible – especially those that Christ Jesus lived and shared with his disciples – and my understanding that these same truths are available to everyone, filled me with hope.
As I continued reading Science and Health, my daughter and I had several healings. One afternoon she had a high fever. I opened Science and Health, and as I began reading, I felt that if I was embracing the spiritual ideas in the book, and if, in turn, these ideas were embracing my daughter and me, then there was no room for fear.
I remember praying for maybe 10 or 15 minutes, and I felt Love’s companionship. Then my daughter shouted from her room, “Mom, I’m hungry – I want to eat.” The fever was gone. Following this, she was also healed in Christian Science of the chronic respiratory problem for which she had received medical treatment for many years.
Something else very beautiful happened. I never again felt alone. When feeling the need for companionship, there was, and still is, always a thought or idea from God accompanying me, providing an answer and giving me light.
Although there continue to be challenges, I feel divine Love’s support and companionship sustaining me, and all. This fills me with gratitude.
Mrs. Eddy writes, “Man is not God, but like a ray of light which comes from the sun, man, the outcome of God, reflects God” (p. 250). We are always in divine Love’s embrace.
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Adapted from an article published on the website of The Herald of Christian Science, Spanish Edition, Jan. 2, 2023.
