It is a privilege to add my note of gratitude for Christian Science to the great chorus of audible and inaudible testimonies that are daily ascending from grateful hearts throughout the whole world; gratitude to the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, Mary Baker Eddy, for having cleared away the mists of false theology, and given us again the God of our Way-shower, Jesus the Christ, the God of love, of whom Jesus said, "The Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works."
My early childhood was one of delicacy and unhappiness. My mother left us when I was five years old, and no one ever answered my early yearning to understand a God who seemed very far off. As I grew to girlhood, this delicacy increased; and for two years I was an invalid, suffering constantly. Various doctors recommended divers remedies, but they gave no hope of complete recovery. They said the digestive organs were badly impaired; that the lower bowel was paralyzed; that there was severe internal trouble; that the nervous system was shattered. As I was unable to do anything but read, I pored over religious books, praying constantly that I might be resigned to what I supposed was the will of God. My father having been an Episcopal clergyman, the doctrine that all our troubles were sent by God for some wise purpose had been ingrained in my theological teaching. I wondered, if this were true, why we used all kinds of material remedies to get rid of our troubles. This inconsistent concept of an all-loving God naturally increased fear and hopelessness, until death seemed the only way out of suffering and despair, though I still continued to pray for light.
My prayers were answered in a way that far exceeded expectation. One memorable day a friend came to visit us who had been healed by Christian Science. How well I remember her first statements! They were: "Why, you don't have to be sick! God does not send sickness." Instantly I was convinced that this was the God I had been yearning to find. At that moment it seemed to me the doors and windows of heaven were opened; hope and expectation poured in; and I knew that healing was a present possibility. I also saw that nothing could prevent my learning to understand the God who sent only good to His children.
