One morning upon awakening I realized that I was not hearing as clearly as usual. Immediately I began to study the weekly Lesson-Sermon in the Christian Science Quarterly, as I do every morning, with special attention to the correcting of this erroneous condition. I declared the truth concerning man, who is made in God's image and who therefore reflects God.
When my own work effected no improvement in my hearing, I called a practitioner for help. She reminded me that sight and hearing are spiritual faculties and therefore are permanent. In the textbook, Science and Health, our Leader, Mrs. Eddy, writes (p. 486): "Sight, hearing, all the spiritual senses of man, are eternal. They cannot be lost. Their reality and immortality are in Spirit and understanding, not in matter,—hence their permanence."
When the condition did not improve after a month, I realized that I myself must grow in spiritual understanding, because the practitioner's work was done. Our textbook reminds us (p. 487), "There is more Christianity in seeing and hearing spiritually than materially." This showed me that I must be more alert not to take into my consciousness gossip or other unpleasant remarks which came to my ears. Every false report about God's man, whether of character, appearance, or action, had to be denied entrance into my consciousness. Moreover, none of my church duties were neglected, in spite of the difficulty.
