Trusting home and health to God

In September 2008, I found out from the bank that our house was going into foreclosure. It was a very hard time for my family and me.

To find stability, I again started reading the Bible and Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, by Mary Baker Eddy, and attending my Christian Science branch church. It had been four or five months since I’d done either.

Each week the Christian Science Bible Lessons gave me peace and helped me see that as God’s child I’m never outside of His loving care. Then our situation became even direr, and it looked as if we would definitely lose our house.

I called a Christian Science practitioner for help with my prayers. She asked me, “Can you trust God?” I answered yes—and meant it with my whole heart. I knew that I could have complete faith in God’s power, and that when I aligned my thinking with God, healing could take place. The practitioner reminded me that God was always present and that our situation would conform to God’s law of harmony.

Initially I was so frightened that I couldn’t sleep. When I mentioned that to the practitioner, she suggested I pray with this verse from Proverbs: “When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid: yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet” (Prov. 3:24). As I considered this verse and focused my thought on being fearless, that very night I was able to sleep.

A quote from Science and Health really helped me, too: “The Apostle John says: ‘There is no fear in Love, but perfect Love casteth out fear …. He that feareth is not made perfect in Love.’ Here is a definite and inspired proclamation of Christian Science” (Science and Health, p. 410). Our situation might have felt scary on the outside, but I trusted that there was no reason for me to be afraid, because my family and I were protected and cared for by divine Love—and that included protection from financial disaster.

Another passage from Science and Health that really spoke to me says, “From Love and from the light and harmony which are the abode of Spirit, only reflections of good can come” (Science and Health, p. 280). I prayed to see how God is Love and that light and harmony come from Him. In harmony there can be no fear or chaos. I also thought of this “abode” as our house, the safe place where we dwell.

The spiritual interpretation of the 23rd Psalm in Science and Health gave me relief when I read this line: “I will dwell in the house [the consciousness] of [Love] forever” (Science and Health, p. 578). It reminded me that we can never be without our spiritual home, since our true consciousness is spiritual—created by Love. To me, that’s what “perfect love” is.

Soon, I felt totally peaceful about our situation, and I knew there would be a good solution.

Within a week we were able to go talk with a bank officer. We negotiated lower mortgage payments, and the foreclosure was stopped.

Another healing occurred about six months earlier. For a couple of months I had all the signs of an ingrown, painful toenail. I wanted to rely on Christian Science for healing and called a practitioner to pray with me. She helped me see that as God’s image and likeness I couldn’t experience an abnormality or pain. God was caring for me perfectly, and it became clear to me that I could expect healing. Within a week the nail began to grow normally again, and the problem never reappeared.

I’m grateful for both of these healings. As a result I feel so much more peace, and I’m more confident in my ability to practice Christian Science.

Christina Hughes | Elgin, Illinois, US