A testimony by Craig Armstrong
Three years ago our family moved from Texas to southeast Pennsylvania because of a change in employment. As the house in Texas had not sold, we had to rent at the new location. After many months we found the small rental with its restrictions to really making it our own becoming a challenge. As both my wife and I had been raised in Christian Science, we naturally turned to this practical solution for spiritual enlightenment and to come to peace with our housing situation. We enjoyed sharing the ideas that came to us through our study, particularly reading articles on related topics found on JSH-Online. We also engaged a Christian Science practitioner to help us see this situation more clearly. We came to see that home is really our oneness with God and therefore available to express its fullness wherever we are at the moment. We saw that there is no such thing as a mortgage or individual ownership. God owns everything and man expresses God in his reflection of the qualities of home. Our sense of home was expanding and becoming spiritually based.
One evening while walking through the small town where we lived, a fellow we knew asked us if we were still looking for a house to purchase and suggested we take a look at a particular house he knew of. One thing led to another and we moved forward to buy the house. At one point in the loan approval process the practitioner shared the idea with us that “we are already approved by divine Love.” This was such a powerful thought and broke the logjam which led to a smooth loan approval and closing.
In Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy, she writes, “Soul has infinite resources with which to bless mankind…” and this housing unfoldment made this truth beautifully evident. In addition to being the perfect house for us in a price range we could afford, the following are just three of the aspects that beautifully punctuated the completeness of the demonstration of divine Love’s – God’s – guidance and provision for us. About eight months before our current home came to our attention, the lease in Texas was expiring and we were simply not in a position to afford two mortgages. As we addressed this issue through prayer, we realized home is a complete idea for us and the folks renting our house. We found ourselves really expressing love to these renters. In short order the renters asked us to extend their contract, and because they knew we wanted to sell the house, they offered to give us an additional $500 extra per month. This amount proved critical in our being able to qualify for the loan on our purchase in Pennsylvania. Second, in Christian Science we learn that whatever blesses one blesses all. My wife and I began to see and be grateful for all the folks who were benefitting from this purchase in PA. The fellow who owned the house wanted to move to downtown Philadelphia to be closer to his aging parents. The owner of the place he bought in Philly was then able to retire to Florida. Additionally, people along the way at the loan office, bank and title company were all being blessed.
Finally, one small anecdote was such an exclamation point to this demonstration. For years our family has been associated with summer camps for Christian Scientists near Buena Vista, Colorado. In our travels around these camps we often take Highway 24 from Buena Vista up to Leadville. One of the road signs on the highway that we enjoy seeing each time has an arrow pointing to the other side of the Arkansas River with the words: “Old Stage Coach Road to Leadville”. Whenever we saw this crude road sign it brought images of Conestoga wagons and hardy pioneers. It always resulted in interesting conversations and appreciation of time gone by. One day while talking to my new next door neighbor, he pointed out our property line and the “grown over” road on the border of our lot. He said to me that this road used to be the entrance into the adjoining state park, and the name of the road is Old Stage Coach Road. I really felt we were home.
Craig Armstrong
