I shall always be grateful that Christian Science came into my home while I was still a little girl. My father was a minister, and the Bible was deeply loved in our home, but its practical healing value remained undiscovered until a copy of the Christian Science textbook by Mrs. Eddy was given to my mother.
Up to this time I had always been susceptible to bronchitis and other chest ailments; and often when our Scottish weather was severe, it was considered wise to keep me indoors. Very soon after my mother had begun to study Christian Science and to teach me some of its basic truths, there was a cold, foggy Saturday when I badly wanted to go to a dancing lesson. At first it was decided that I must stay at home, but then we remembered the words of Hymn No. 144 in the Christian Science Hymnal. We had recently memorized this hymn, the first lines of which read,
In atmosphere of Love divine,
We live, and move, and breathe.
We saw at once that since man lives within the allness of divine Love, no harm can possibly come to him from inclement weather conditions. I was allowed to go out, and I was none the worse. But the most wonderful thing about this healing was that the whole mesmerism was completely broken. I finished school and university without missing a single day, and I am grateful to say that the healing has remained complete.
I had a quick and positive proof of the healing power of Truth some years after I was married. One evening I had been carefully studying a passage from Science and Health which I wanted to understand more fully. The lines are on page 280 and read, "Rightly understood, instead of possessing a sentient material form, man has a sensationless body; and God, the Soul of man and of all existence, being perpetual in His own individuality, harmony, and immortality, imparts and perpetuates these qualities in man,—through Mind, not matter."
Shortly before bedtime, I upset a kettle of boiling water over one foot. The truth contained in the foregoing statement came immediately to my thought, and despite the pain, which was intense, I walked up and down the floor, declaring aloud that harmony was not dependent on matter, but was reflected perpetually from Mind, and therefore it was constant, complete, and inviolate. I continued to do this for about ten minutes, after which I could feel the pain ebbing away, and I was free. When I removed my shoe and stocking to go to bed about half an hour later, there was only the slightest pink flush left on the foot.
More recently, while holidaying in Natal, I stubbed one of my big toes quite badly while bathing. I denied the thought of accident immediately, but it soon became evident that the condition had not been healed. As the day wore on, I found I was walking more and more on the side of my foot to avoid the pain.
Before dinner time that evening, I asked my husband and son to leave me quietly in the hotel bedroom so that I could work out this problem. I turned to the Christian Science Quarterly Lesson-Sermon for that week, the subject of which was "Sacrament," and I came to these lines from page 14 of the textbook: "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."
While I paused to try to claim my oneness with Spirit, and to see that only spiritual consciousness was mine, there was a click at the base of my toe, and a lovely feeling of ease and well-being spread through my foot. I thanked God for this quick healing, and in a few moments slipped on high-heeled shoes and went to rejoin my family.
Since my husband's sudden passing a few years ago, I have become even more grateful for the teachings of Christian Science. At that time Science was a most wonderful help to me, and I was able to prove, at least in part, that "when the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him" (Isa. 59: 19). Now I am learning to rely more and more on God, and, in so doing, I am finding a truer sense of my real independence and completeness.
While I am sincerely grateful for these proofs of the operation of the divine healing Principle, Love, I am even more thankful for the precious sense of God's nearness and care and for the conviction which has come to me over the years that I have studied Christian Science that Life and joy are unquenchable.— Johannesburg, Transvaal, Republic of South Africa.
