Christian Science rescued me
Can the idea that God loves us actually change one’s experience for the better? A woman who grew up in an abusive environment found that what she learned at the Christian Science Sunday School a friend invited her to improved her life in meaningful, lasting ways.
Almost 50 years ago a young man saved my life by introducing me to Christian Science.
I grew up in an environment of abuse and violence. As the eldest of seven siblings, I was left in charge of caring for the others at a very young age. My mother was very seldom at home, and when my stepfather was around, he mistreated me. I never said a word to anyone about what happened in our house. When I was around 13, I felt I couldn’t go on anymore, and I thought about how I could take my life.
I attended a religious school where we were taught that everything that happens is God’s will and we have to endure it. But this bothered me because I had not done anything bad that deserved punishment. Though I had lost faith in people and no longer trusted them, as I felt they had failed me, I had never doubted God’s existence or lost faith in Him, and I reached out to God for an answer. Yet my troubles persisted, and I didn’t know why.
A couple of years later a boy I knew perceived that I needed help, and he invited me to a Christian Science Sunday School. I had never before heard of Christian Science, and I really didn’t want to go to church with him, but he persuaded me to visit just once.
What caught my attention immediately was the joyful environment of the Sunday School. The teacher talked to us about God’s love for everyone. She said that each one of us was precious to God and that we were each loved impartially. This impressed me a lot, and I couldn’t prevent tears from welling up in my eyes because I had thought I was unloved.
I went back a second and third time to the Sunday School, and continued going. As a result of what I was learning about God, I began to see things differently. One of the things that amazed me was the following passage in “Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures” by Mary Baker Eddy, the discoverer of Christian Science: “The Christian Science God is universal, eternal, divine Love, which changeth not and causeth no evil, disease, nor death” (p. 140). This made me see that God does not send us problems; divine Love lifts us out of them.
The change in my thought that resulted from this true understanding of God was marvelous. My situation began to improve little by little. I started studying the Bible and Science and Health and striving to get closer to God, and things at home began calming down. After I began attending Sunday School, my stepfather never hit me again.
However, it was still not easy for me to live at home. But God’s care for us is complete, and soon a friend and high school classmate invited me to live with her, her mother, and her sister. I had never told her what was happening at home, but she felt I needed help. They gave me not only a place to live but a family, and they are an important part of my family to this day.
I made sure my younger siblings had what they needed and were safe at home, and I went to live with this friend. Eventually I married the young man who had introduced me to Christian Science, and together we raised three wonderful children. This Science has been a blessing not only to me but also to my younger brothers, who have their own families and live in harmony. When they’ve had great challenges, they, too, have turned to Christian Science and felt its support.
Years after I married, my mom also became interested in Christian Science, which changed her life and her whole character. This helped me forgive and repair my relationship with her.
I have a full and happy life with challenges like everyone else, but every need has been met by relying on God. I am immensely grateful for Christian Science and for Mary Baker Eddy, whose writings show us the depth of God’s love and how to follow Christ Jesus’ example.
Adapted from an article published in the March 30, 2020, issue of the Christian Science Sentinel and the April 2020 issue of The Herald of Christian Science, Spanish Edition.