With my thoughts full of gratitude to God, whom I have learned to know as Love, and to the dear woman, Mary Baker Eddy, who made it possible for me to understand Him through reading her book, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," I give this testimony. I first saw Science and Health in September, 1912, and knew it was what I needed. I had always tried to love and obey God, but with fear. I was never very strong, and often had to give in to rest and medicine; also, there was a fear of a wasting disease. The cold weather I was afraid of because for three winters I had been ill with gastric ulcers; but in 1912, having read Science and Health, I asked a practitioner for help. It was very lovingly given, and I was healed almost at once.
I had always had very ugly finger nails, and because of the formation of them sometimes they seemed very painful. One day soon after taking up Christian Science, as they had been troubling me a great deal, I asked a practitioner how I should work about them. She was very gentle and said: "I would not work about them if I were you. Just try to be as loving as you can; it will all come right." That gave me "much to think about, because I thought I was as loving as it was possible for any one to be. I was, however, determined to try; and I discovered it was fear that had prompted my so-called love. So I tried my best to watch my thoughts, and just tried to love for Love's sake. It was, or seemed, very difficult at times, because all my old ideas were getting so upset. I had thought that no one had ever seen me in a temper; in fact, I thought I did not have one. The reading of Science and Health, however, showed me that Truth brings all error to light to be seen as contrary to Truth, and so destroyed.
Because I had been so busy watching my thoughts and deeds I had not noticed that my nails were not paining me; and at the end of the week when I talked with the practitioner I found to my surprise that they not only were healed, but were the right shape. I continued to try my best to watch my thoughts, and was encouraged by finding that my insteps had also been made perfect. Before, I had always been flat-footed. So I have found that as my good thoughts grew more active the condition of the body improved. I did not understand that as His child I was perfect, until I read it in Mrs. Eddy's writings. Mrs. Eddy tells us (Science and Health, p. 1) that "desire is prayer." And if that desire is for good, we may be sure we shall have our prayers answered.
