"He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust" (Ps. 91:1, 2).
I thank our heavenly Father for the fact that through the study and application of Christian Science, as revealed to Mrs. Eddy and set forth for all mankind in Science and Health and her other writings, I am gaining a greater spiritual understanding of the above Bible verses and of all the Scriptures. I have always loved the Bible; but there was much of it I did not understand, and my Sunday School teachers in an orthodox church could not answer my questions. The answers are being revealed in my daily study of the Bible in the light of Science, and I am grateful.
Our religion has changed my life from one of heaviness and fear to one of peace and joy. It was a great help in rearing our four children and in placing them in God's care and keeping when they were serving in the Armed Forces during the Second World War. It brought them safely home.
We have had many healings, some slow and some instantaneous. I should like to relate two of them which have been a great source of growth and strength to me.
The first occurred over twenty years ago. The condition was not medically diagnosed, but it was evident that it was cancerous. I had been a medical nurse and had cared for many cancer cases; so I was familiar with the symptoms. However, I stood firm for Christian Science, knowing that it is God "who healeth all [our] diseases" (Ps. 103:3). With the patient help of a consecrated practitioner the complete healing was brought about. This was a slow healing, but progress was steady. There was so much wrong thinking to be corrected: false traits of character to be overcome and more love for God and man to be expressed. I am very grateful for the healing, but infinitely more grateful for the progress made in spiritual understanding. Before the healing was complete, I joined The Mother Church and a branch church, and my membership in both is a priceless blessing to me.
The second healing took place while I was serving as First Reader in a branch church. Our daughter and her husband lived on a farm. When they went on their vacation, my husband went to the farm to care for the stock while they were away. I too spent as much time out there as I could.
One Wednesday morning, since I was to catch a seven fifteen bus into the city, we arose at five o'clock. I was joyously preparing breakfast and doing the farmhouse chores. I took milk to the kittens on the back porch. When I returned to the kitchen, I noticed the time was five forty-six. I went to the sink and washed my hands, looking out at the beauty from the window as I did so. As I was going to reach for a towel, I discovered that my right arm was hanging useless at my side.
I saw instantly what the difficulty was and exclaimed aloud, "You're a vicious, diabolical lie!" My face began to be affected too, and I felt queer. So I sat down in a nearby chair declaring God's allness, man's perfection as a child of God, and the nothingness of all the claims of mortal mind. In a very few moments, I could move my fingers and my hand.
I stood up and continued getting breakfast. The thought came to me that I should call a practitioner; but I was not obedient, feeling I was doing all right in handling the situation myself. Then the thought came again more insistently. I looked at the clock and it was exactly six o'clock. I knew the practitioner I had in mind would be awake, so I went to the telephone and dialed the number. When he answered, I discovered that I could not speak, but I managed to make him understand.
When my husband came in for breakfast, I was able to tell him that I was all right and that I had called for help. He drove me to the bus line, and I returned to our home. Here, I at once began to read aloud the current Lesson-Sermon, outlined in the Quarterly. As I read, my speech improved. Then I read aloud the readings I had prepared for the Wednesday evening testimony meeting. They included this statement: "A Christian Scientist's medicine is Mind, the divine Truth that makes man free" (Science and Health, p. 453). Before noon that day, I was completely free.
There are no human words adequate to tell how grateful I am to God for His precious gift of the Bible; for Christ Jesus, our Way-shower; for Mrs. Eddy, our Leader; for her great love for all mankind in sharing her revelation with us in her writings; and for all the activities of the Christian Science movement. Also I am thankful that the truths revealed in Science are permeating the thinking of the world and that the light of Truth is revealing that "the Lord God omnipotent reigneth" (Rev. 19:6).
I must also express gratitude for service in the Field as a Christian Science nurse; for the opportunity of working with so many fine practitioners and patients; for the spiritual understanding gained in my contacts with them; and for the priceless privilege of class instruction and the yearly association meeting. "My cup runneth over" (Ps. 23:5).— Vancouver, Washington.
