By Whitney Boggs - Christian Science Sentinel, February 27, 2006
Last year, I moved out of my family’s home and into a college dorm so I could live on my own and experience college life. The transition was difficult because I was close to my family, and I wasn’t used to sharing a room with anyone.
As a Christian Scientist, my first response to a problem—whether it’s physical or emotional—is to turn to God. I’ve learned I can trust His infinite goodness to provide me with comfort and guidance in any situation. Prayer helps me see the true nature of an individual as spiritual, and this truth heals. So freshman year, when an uncomfortable situation arose with my roommate, I knew prayer would reveal the right solution.
We spent the first few weeks of college getting to know each other and adjusting to our respective schedules. I was in bed by midnight because I had a 9:00 class, but my roommate’s dance practices ran late and she wouldn’t get home until after I was in bed. I tried my best to ignore her loud entrances and block out the sound by turning the volume up on my headphones while I tried to fall asleep.
One night, I had fallen asleep early and she woke me up very abruptly. She took no care to tip-toe around. Instead, she turned on all the lights, typed loudly on her computer, and moved around frequently. It bothered me that she wasn’t respecting me and didn’t care that I had an early class the next morning.
The following day, I wrote my roommate an e-mail telling her my frustrations. It was easier to explain in writing that she needed to be more considerate of me when she came home late. But she took the e-mail in a very negative manner and promptly wrote me a nasty letter back. As I read her response, tears flowed from my eyes. She was my friend, and I didn’t want any negative feelings to come between us.
I thought about God’s all-inclusive love. She and I were both children of God, existing in peace and harmony. There was no room for conflict in God’s kingdom. Since God is good and we are His reflection, no conflict could exist in anything He created. Therefore, we could only experience this harmony.
I remembered a sentence I learned in Sunday School from Science and Health that says, “Divine Love [God] always has met and always will meet every human need” (p. 494). God would never place me in a situation that was uncomfortable or failed to meet my needs. If I listened for His guidance, He would show me the way to a peaceful relationship with my roommate. Instead of dwelling on our conflict, I needed to view her as a loving individual incapable of doing anything that could hurt my feelings. I had to mentally dig beneath the surface and see her as God sees her—as peaceful and loving. This understanding helped me release any negative feelings I felt toward her.
A couple of days later, I asked if we could sit down and talk. We shared our feelings and discussed a solution for dealing with our conflicting schedules. Our discussion was completely peaceful and nonconfrontational. We gave each other a big hug, and our friendship was completely restored. Although we no longer share a room, she and I remain very good friends. This healing is proof of the love God has for His children.
Christian Science has helped me in every aspect of my life. On a separate occasion, I came down with symptoms of the flu while at school. Not wanting to give in to this illness, I called my mom, and she drove up to my dorm and prayed with me. She spent the afternoon reading me passages from Science and Health and hymns from the Christian Science Hymnal. By the end of the day, I was completely healed and showed no further signs of the flu. My roommate was impressed by my quick recovery and asked me about Christian Science. Since then, we have had many talks about God and our respective beliefs.
This and many other experiences have proved to me I can always turn to God in time of need. Mrs. Eddy said, “Divine Love is never so near as when all earthly joys seem most afar” (The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany, p. 290).
Whitney is now a sophomore at Sonoma State University in Rohnert Park, California.
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I am only 10 but I have a roommate problem. I used to have my room to myself but now I have a foster sister that does all that same stuff. It drives me crazy! We have written notes and talked but that doesn’t seem to last, she still seems inconsiderate. Thanks for writing, I will keep trying to dig to see her as God does.