In gratitude to God for the healing efficacy of Christian Science I submit this testimony. My mother was a sincere student of Christian Science, and I received the benefit of her love, joy, and understanding of God's ever-presence. Through her prayers or those of a practitioner, during my early years I had much help in the overcoming of sickness and in solving other problems. However, I had little understanding of my own regarding how problems were solved through Christian Science.
One morning, a few years after I was married, I stepped outside of my home to do an errand, and I slipped and fell on the ice. For a moment I lost consciousness. When I had regained it, I got up and went about my daily work.
Later, since a painful condition persisted at the back of my head and my back, I had treatment from a medical doctor, then from an osteopath, and finally from a chiropractor. The latter told me that I would probably need treatments all my life, because several vertebrae were out of place and were pressing on the nerves. Only temporary relief was received from, any of these various kinds of treatment.
At one point during this experience I collapsed and was unable to leave my bed for several weeks. At this time I began diligently to study the Bible and all of Mrs. Eddy"s writings. In addition, I read the Christian Science periodicals. I declared that I would work out the problem through Christian Science, and I wrote to a practitioner who gave me absent treatment for a number of weeks. From the beginning I loved the beauty and promise of all that I read. In fact, I was unable to read any other kind of literature during this time.
The Bible says (Gen. 1:31), "God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good." And in Science and Health Mrs. Eddy defines "Christ" as, "The divine manifestation of God, which comes to the flesh to destroy incarnate error'" (p. 583) . Such wonderful passages were a constant source of inspiration, giving me the needed courage to go forward.
When I was better, we moved to a town where I began attending a branch Church of Christ, Scientist. After becoming a member of this church and The Mother Church, I became an active worker. I am now well and back in the teaching profession in which I was engaged before my illness. Serving as Second Reader was a wonderful experience and provided an opportunity to rise higher in my demonstration over many limiting beliefs.
For this wonderful healing and for many others, I am indeed thankful, but my greatest gratitude is for the spiritual understanding I have gained through the study of Christian Science. I am very grateful for having had the privilege of class instruction and for the practitioners, whose work in mankind's behalf is untiring. I am deeply grateful to Christ Jesus, our Way-shower, and to Mrs. Eddy, our Leader, for their devotion in giving to the world the true concept of God and man, the understanding of which brings peace, comfort, health, and happiness.—
Gouverneur, New York.
