Effects of Abuse Dissolve through Prayer

I am so grateful to God for Mary Baker Eddy and Christian Science, which continues to teach me, every day, that the most important relationship I have, is with God. Having that one single purpose has brought so many deep and healing changes into my life. Learning who God is and who I am has turned every aspect of my life into something meaningful.

As a child, I never understood how God could allow the violence in our house to continue for years. My dad was an alcoholic who violently beat my mom and all of us children. I felt like a child living in a war-torn country, subjected to the violence of my captor. I witnessed and experienced things that a child should never have to endure. I hated him so much and that hate turned into blaming a God I never truly understood. I was so lost and alone. I spent 20 years in cognitive therapy, in and out of mental institutions for suicide attempts and inability to cope with life’s stresses, with no hope of change, constantly being told that I would never heal from childhood abuse.

About 10 years ago a friend gave me the number of a Practitioner from this church. It wasn’t and easy thing to do but I called, scared, angry and filled with contempt for all that I had endured and all that I had become. My life was in total chaos. I am so thankful every day that my Practitioner never gave up on me. She reached down and pulled me up. With every phone call I made, she filled me with Love and Truth. In the months that followed, I began to understand the meaning and power of forgiveness, and my whole life changed. I was no longer a victim but a child of God, filled with faith, hope, trust and purpose. I am living proof that healing is possible through the study and practice of Christian Science.

I don’t think about my past very often but when I do, I discover all the ways God was there, guiding me through it all, like the night the Whippoorwill called from the woods as I lay terrified in my bed. I was drawn to crawl out my window and lay on the ground, peacefully smiling at the joyous sound that echoed through the trees.

I am so thankful for this healing and everything that this church stands for. It is a mighty powerful institution. I am deeply grateful to God for my practitioner and her continuous teaching and support.