“Trials Are Proofs of God’s Care”

There is a statement in Science and Health which quickly became a favorite of mine many years ago. It reads, “Final deliverance from error, whereby we rejoice in immortality, boundless freedom, and sinless sense, is not reached through paths of flowers.”

As a youth I attended several Boston-affiliated Christian Science Sunday Schools and learned very early that God cares for us. But by the time I attended Plainfield Church as a young adult, I thought that the primary purpose of Christian Science was to enable us to live a life without problems, or in other words, to live a path of flowers.

When I first came to this church, I had some wonderful healings of health issues, business issues, and family problems, through the work of a practitioner here. I knew I had found the right practice of Christian Science when I came here; but in the back of my mind there was always this nagging question, “Why did I have these problems in the first place?” I thought that a good Christian Scientist was not supposed to have problems. The teacher in this church then provided me with the answer, and I am so grateful that she did. She taught me that the primary purpose of Christian Science is not to make our lives free of problems, but to destroy the beliefs of sickness and sin for all mankind.

If a problem comes, it is a steppingstone in our spiritual growth. It is to strengthen our understanding that God heals. In Science and Health Mrs. Eddy says, “Trials are proofs of God’s care.” I learned that facing and overcoming problems each day is not something to be avoided, but an essential part of our spiritual growth. In fact, we can’t grow without it. Once this revelation sank in, it made a huge difference in my life. I stopped condemning myself and stopped getting annoyed when I experienced problems.

I thank God for the help of that teacher and practitioner. I thank Mrs. Eddy for giving us this clear and complete explanation of what life is all about.