It is high time that I bore witness to all the help I have received from the study of Christian Science. I have been studying it since the First World War, during which, although I did not realize it, I was being protected by God through the prayerful thoughts of a relation who was a Scientist. Since then I have been in many and varied climates in different parts of the world; and, through my small amount of understanding of Science, I have been protected from epidemics and have been healed of many difficulties, including jaundice, a rib injury, synovitis of the knee, a broken foot, and a broken nose. The bones were set by spiritual means alone.
When I was an acting staff officer in India before the Second World War, I was responsible for all the written orders for the movement of the troops while we were on maneuvers and for the selection of the camp sites which they were to occupy. Another officer and I were reconnoitering one of these camp sites together; and instead of getting on with the job in hand, I was worrying about an order I should have to write about three days hence to get the troops out of a special type of camp.
I was not getting on with what I ought to have been doing because of worrying about the order. Suddenly to my thought came this message: "Get on with what you are doing now. I will tell you what to write when the time comes." I was so startled I did try hard to be obedient and get on with the job in hand, and we finished the reconnaissance satisfactorily.
Two days later we were in the special camp, and the next day I would have to issue the complicated order. Up to then I had no idea how to write it; and, instead of being faithful, I started worrying again, and by the evening I had not been able even to start the order.
That night the troops, or some of them, had to go out on a night scheme. I did not have to go with them, but when they moved out I woke up and suddenly another message came to me: "It's nice and quiet now. Get a pad and pencil and we'll write the order." I got the pad, pencil, and a torch, and nine complicated paragraphs were written down almost as if at dictation. I read through what had been written down and was absolutely astounded at its clarity; except for a few punctuation marks, nothing had to be added or amended. I mentally sang a paean of praise to our Father-Mother God and turned over and slept through the rest of the night.
I am not a trained staff officer, but that evening in mess, when the orders were brought round, the senior officer, a trained staff officer, read it and said: "I don't know how the brains of you Quartering fellows work. I could not have written this order." I did not tell him that I had not done it on my own, because he would not have understood.
When the time came the troops went out of camp like a river, and there was not even a suggestion of a holdup of any kind. Was I grateful! I seemed to be walking on air for days afterwards.
I should like to tell about the healing of the rib injury mentioned above. I was one of the regimental hockey team, and that day I was playing left fullback. The ball was hit towards me, and I rushed forward to cut it off. An opposing player, a very heavy man, arrived at the same moment; we collided violently, and his shoulder crashed into my ribs. The pain was intense, but I instantly declared silently that what had happened was not the truth. The pain subsided, although there had been an ominous crack when the collision took place, and I was able to finish the game.
During the night I woke up, and the pain was again severe; and although I am not clear exactly what came to my thought, I did the best I knew to declare the presence of God and the fact that there can be no breakages in God's kingdom. The pain went on for some time. Then, as I rolled over in bed, there was an audible creak, and I felt something slip into place. In a very short time the pain lessened, and I went to sleep.
In the morning there was only a soreness, and it was so slight that I hardly noticed it. At any rate it discommoded me so little I played in the next match three days later and thought no more about the injury.
I am quite unable to express my gratitude for our Master, Christ Jesus, who taught and demonstrated the truth that the real man is the son of God and that if we are obedient to the divine law, we can prove man's dominion. I am grateful for our Leader, who was inspired to throw more light on our Lord's teaching through Christian Science so that in this present age we may understand more clearly what he meant, and for God, our ever-loving Father-Mother, whose work for us all we may see, if we only try to do what He has given us to do to His glory and in accordance with His divine law.— Allington, Wiltshire, England.
