When I was a child at boarding school, I was taken ill with what the doctors diagnosed as a serious disease of the heart. I was sent home and from that time was not allowed to run about, play games, swim, dance, or in any other way exert myself. The result was that I led a very restricted and rather miserable life. An aunt who was a Christian Scientist invited me to her house while I was waiting for a bed in a special hospital for diseases of the heart. I had already spent six months in this hospital, where I was kept under strong drugs constantly, and I was dreading my return there.
My aunt was very kind to me and wished to do all she could to comfort and help me. The day before I was due to leave her house for the hospital she asked me to come into her room. She made me comfortable on the bed, and after we had talked for a while she pointed to the Bible and to another book lying on a stand beside the bed. She said, "You know Christian Science really can help you if you are willing to try it." Then she left the room.
For some time I lay and looked at the books. I did not pick them up readily, because I had always criticized what I falsely understood Christian Science to be. After a while, however, I thought that no possible harm could come by simply reading the book, and so I did pick up the Christian Science textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" by Mary Baker Eddy. From the first line I was enthralled with what I read.
When I reached page 14 I found this wonderful statement: "Become conscious for a single moment that Life and intelligence are purely spiritual,—neither in nor of matter,—and the body will then utter no complaints. If suffering from a belief in sickness, you will find yourself suddenly well. Sorrow is turned into joy when the body is controlled by spiritual Life, Truth, and Love."
The deep truths which these wonderful words present glowed in my thought. I reasoned that I had always accepted the truth that God is my Life. Since God is Spirit too, my Life must be "purely spiritual, —neither in nor of matter." Therefore, this sick sense of my body was no more a part of my real existence or identity than the bed on which I was lying. A tremendous burden rolled away, and I suddenly felt as light as air, free, and completely new.
After a while I realized that there was absolutely nothing to keep me in bed now, and I bounded onto the floor, jumping and running around the room, literally shouting for joy. My aunt heard the commotion and hurried upstairs. I love to remember the look on her face as she heard what had happened and found that I was well, happy, and just full of energy.
It happened to be a Wednesday, and I insisted on going to church with her that evening. Although I had never before attended a Christian Science service, I was the first one to testify at that service to the healing power of Christian Science, and the whole congregation rejoiced with me. Since that time my experience has been brimful of activity, and I feel that I have more than made up for the limitations imposed during childhood. Nor have I had any recurrence of the disease.
I can see now that what occurred that day was an inner revelation of true perfection, a revelation of the wholeness and allness of Deity, God, and of man in His image and likeness. In one of her books, "The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany," Mrs. Eddy writes (p. 3), "This Science is a law of divine Mind, a persuasive animus, an unerring impetus, an ever-present help." I so keenly felt the persuasive animus, the unerring impetus, the present help of Christian Science, that all thought of sickness, inharmony, and restriction disappeared.
I am so happy to tell about this healing, which has always been like a shining light to me, and I am also happy to express my deepest appreciation for all that Mrs. Eddy has done in presenting this Christ Science to the world.— Cambridge, Massachusetts.
