When Science and Health was a lifeline

When I was a first-year high school teacher, Science and Health was a lifeline. I had made the mistake of starting the year with an approach that was a bit too casual or “buddy-buddy” with the students, not nearly firm enough. I seemed to be paying quite heavily for that miscalculation. That year I relied on God daily, and often minute-by-minute, as I tried to pull into line three art classes that were constantly threatening to “go off the rails”!

I had been very thankful to secure this job, contrary to the public opinion of the day. It was certainly God impelled that I was able to get a job where I taught every second day, allowing me to also pursue a career in fine art.

At night, however, after a tough day at school, I would find myself lying in bed, unable to sleep, my thoughts replaying the events of the day over and over again. At such times, it was all I could do to get out of bed, sit in a chair, and drink in the truths found in Science and Health. It didn’t matter where I began in the book, the statements of Truth washed over me, both awakening me and calming my thought, exchanging the human history of dreams for the facts of my true nature, the true nature of my students, and of God’s love for all of us. This may seem like a little thing to others reading this, but Science and Health was a lifesaver for me.  

Recently, I heard a Sentinel Watch episode where the guest explained that we don’t learn as much about God in times of comfort as we do in times of discomfort. I gained much that year, and I was so grateful to have Christian Science to help me through it. Teaching got better and better, and that first year of learning/teaching was pivotal for the rest of my teaching career, which included a wide variety of age groups. That year also taught me to rely on Mind when making decisions as a parent of two of God’s children.