I give thanks daily for the benefits that have come to me as a result of my growing understanding of our Father-Mother God. Among the treasured experiences which have revealed to me God's omnipotence is the following one.
At a time when it was necessary for me to be very active and to be on my feet a great deal, I was troubled by a painful condition of fallen arches. For two days my efforts to overcome the situation through Christian Science were unsuccessful. The third afternoon a friend of mine who is a medical nurse noticed my difficulty in walking and suggested that I have special arch supports made. Because of my distress, I was momentarily tempted to follow her advice. Then I realized that, because of the very urgency of the situation, I did not have time to waste on temporary measures, and I knew that I had better take my stand for the truth and the present perfection of God's child.
I excused myself and went to my room where I could shut out the suggestions of mortal mind. As I worked vigorously and positively to know that man is dependent upon God alone and that he is God's perfect reflection, thus has never fallen and never will fall, it became very clear to me that Truth sustains and supports man.
As this fact dawned in my consciousness the notion of arch supports appeared ridiculous, and I wondered whatever had made me think material supports could be necessary. The healing was instantaneous, and I have never again suffered from fallen arches. I am very thankful for the understanding gained through this proof that Truth supports man entirely and for the knowledge that this fact is applicable to every circumstance.
More recently my eight-year-old son complained of an itching between his toes, and upon inspecting them, I recognized the symptoms of athlete's foot. Immediately I reminded him that since God did not make irritation, His child could not be troubled with it; and we talked about the perfection of God's child. As the boy did not know the nature of the disease, I took care not to dignify it by identifying it. Instead, I silently knew that God does not cognize disease; so it has no identity. There are no parasites in Mind. Each idea of God is supplied by God and therefore cannot be dependent upon matter for life.
Having taken this stand, I stood by my conviction and refused to check on the feet. About two weeks later I felt assured of the complete healing. The flesh was normal, and there has been no recurrence of the condition. A contributing factor to the swiftness of the healing is that I never for a moment admitted fear into my consciousness. How grateful I am for the study of Christian Science, which gives us the confidence to reject the claims of materiality!
Especially would I like to express gratitude for the Christian Science Sunday Schools and for the truth that is being taught the children. As a working mother who cannot always be on hand, I find it a great comfort to know that God is always with the children and that His angels are right with them at their present level of understanding. It is a source of inspiration to know that right where we are is all that we need now and that, as one of our hymns expresses it (Christian Science Hymnal, No. 51), "Love's work and Love must fit." — Waterville, Maine..
