It is thirty-one years since I began to study Christian Science. Now I feel impelled to express my gratitude to God for a healing for which I had to wait patiently for eight years.
One Sunday on returning home from a long walk, I felt pain in my ankle. On investigating I noticed a wound, but I did not consider it to be serious. I resolved that if it seemed necessary later, I would see a practitioner.
Since the condition did not improve I went to see the practitioner the next day, but the healing did not take place as quickly as I expected. On the contrary, very earnest and consecrated work was needed, for the error had become aggravated. Very soon it was clear to me that I must correct my own thinking, that I must work prayerfully.
While the practitioner's work was being done, several faults of character were uncovered, and these had to be corrected. The most pronounced were distrust, criticism, and an inferiority complex. These faults were recognized by me for what they were and were gradually put off. However, there still remained the fear of mental malpractice.
One day the practitioner made it clear to me that God is the only source of intelligence and life, and His ideas are in harmonious relationship with one another by reason of their inseparability from the one and only Life. Very soon it was clear to me that malpractice can have no effect unless it is admitted into consciousness. This realization also enabled me gradually to overcome a hasty temper and unfriendliness.
I am grateful that throughout this whole experience, my ankle did not pain me while I was at church or in the Sunday School. So I was not prevented from attending the services or from carrying out my duties in the church. The work in the Sunday School brought me a great many blessings.
In one of the Lesson-Sermons from the Christian Science Quarterly one passage in particular attracted my attention. It was from Luke (5:12, 13) and refers to "a man full of leprosy: who seeing Jesus fell on his face, and besought him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean." I felt I must read this passage over and over, although at the time I did not know why. Soon afterwards, however, I was again seized with severe pain. I was so discouraged that I was almost in despair, but I wrestled with and fought against error until I was conscious of God's presence. Then I recalled the above-quoted passage and, like the leper, I turned to the Christ, Truth, with the same appeal, "If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean."
I cannot express in words what took place within me. Everything was light and clear, and I felt so peaceful. The pain was gone, and I knew that I was healed, although it was some time before the evidence of the healing appeared.
The complete healing came on a Communion Sunday when the subject of the lesson was "Sacrament." That morning, for the first time, I had been able to discard the bandage, for the wound had closed. Words are inadequate to express with what devotion and fervent gratitude to God I knelt at that service. I vowed to God that I would strive to live this gratitude in a life which approached the highest sense of good.
Great is my gratitude to our revered Leader, Mary Baker Eddy, for restoring to mankind the spiritual healing method practiced by Christ Jesus and his early followers. I should like also to express my wholehearted gratitude to the practitioner who helped me, and for the joyous privilege of class instruction. Through the spiritual discernment gained from this instruction, I have made much progress, a number of healings have been brought about, and many problems have been solved. In the words of the Psalmist, I give all honor to God (Ps. 103:2), "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits."— Berlin-Friedenau, Germany.
