Many times when I have been tempted to entertain thoughts of weariness or depression I have found surcease and satisfaction through a perusal of the testimonies found in The Christian Science Journal, the Christian Science Sentinel, or in the chapter "Fruitage" in our beloved textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" by Mary Baker Eddy. It is in the hope that my experiences may be of benefit to those seeking encouragement and help that I am writing this testimony.
My father was an Episcopal minister. At an early age, however, I found myself dissatisfied with the teachings of that denomination and began to question why we were not living and practicing in accord with Jesus' instructions and example. I took my questions to my father and also to a bishop, but received no satisfaction from their replies, so tucked the desire away in my heart, little realizing the joy which lay ahead.
For twenty-two years I had been a sufferer from chronic constipation, said to be inherited, also nervous indigestion, headaches, fevers, and frequent spells of grippe and biliousness. I had a deep aversion toward medicines and often mentally declared I would have no more to do with them, if ever I became independent. However, after marriage and removal into a foreign country I found that I had nothing to take the place of the medicines and suffered agony when I attempted to go without them entirely. Physical culture, diet, electrical treatments, and two operations were resorted to, with no benefit whatever. Then I was attracted by the kindliness, gentleness, and understanding of a neighbor in handling her children, and presently found she credited it all to an understanding gained through the study of Christian Science. She was a comparatively new student, but had seen her children rapidly recover from cases of black smallpox under Christian Science treatment. This made a deep impression on me, and I resolved to learn more about the teachings of Christian Science. This was over thirty years ago, and I could not begin to enumerate the many blessings we have since received.
