A TOURIST, delighted with her first trip to Europe, remarked that she could hardly wait to return home so she could tell others about it. The pleasure of talking about the good things that happen is so great that not talking about them is hard. How much more eagerly and joyously should students of Christian Science look forward to the opportunity to share with others their glorious spiritual experiences!
Guided by wisdom and love, Mrs. Eddy provided opportunities for the expression of gratitude for healings in order that others might be blessed. In the Manual she writes (Art. VIII, Sect. 24): "Testimony in regard to the healing of the sick is highly important. More than a mere rehearsal of blessings, it scales the pinnacle of praise and illustrates the demonstration of Christ, 'who healeth all thy diseases'(Psalm 103:3)."
When we give a testimony, we can share what we have learned of the allness of Spirit and of the nothingness of matter. In our expression of gratitude, we are acknowledging the healing influence of divine Principle in human affairs. We are testifying to the manifestation of God's love for man, His image and likeness. We are glorifying Truth in action.
One never knows when something one says will meet the need of another. At a time when the writer accepted the belief of a delayed healing, she went to a Wednesday testimony meeting so intent on hearing of a healing similar to what she felt she needed that she stopped listening the minute the speaker mentioned a difficulty that was not like the one enslaving her.
Finally a young man stood up and told of his victory over the drinking habit and the habit of compulsive gambling. He said he had found freedom and happiness, and wanted to shout his gratitude from the housetops. He talked so loudly that his words penetrated her walls of anxiety. Suddenly she realized that the same wonderful, invisible power that had freed him from the enslavement of drink and gambling is ever present. Right at that moment it was there to bless her as it had blessed him. Her acknowledgment of her own oneness with God as His reflection brought liberation.
A hymn frequently sung at Sunday services and testimony meetings begins with these lovely words (Christian Science Hymnal, No. 120):
How beauteous on the mountains
The feet of him that brings,
Like streams from living fountains,
Good tidings of good things.
Everyone who participates in a testimony meeting brings "good tidings of good things." Rewarding preparation for the meeting is to ponder the question asked by Mrs. Eddy on page 3 of Science and Health, "Are we really grateful for the good already received?" As we rejoice in the healings we have had, we replace our hope to hear something helpful at the meeting with the hope that something we may say will help someone else.
Because gratitude is the foundation of prayer and spiritualizes our thinking, we then listen to the readings from the desk with a fresh, alert receptiveness. The silent prayer becomes an active realization that all in the congregation are ideas of God, protected and governed by His laws of harmony and goodness. When our hearts are full of love to share, we shall not leave empty-handed. And the stranger who has come will leave with what he has come to receive.
The number of people attending a testimony meeting is not so important as the thoughts expressed by those present. Sometimes one testimony so fills the meeting place with inspiration, so glowingly carries the message of the triumph of Spirit, that walls are pushed back and the healing Christ, Truth, goes out to bless the world. And although silences may be grateful ones and need not be evidence of the lack of demonstrations, gratitude expressed carries the joy that comes with giving. When we testify, we glorify God's presence.
Limiting beliefs of timidity, or a false sense of not being able to speak in public, need not deprive students of their right to contribute. When they take their stand and are obedient to the laws of God's government, they cannot be victimized by nerves or hampered by so-called laws of matter.
The effectiveness of testimonies does not depend on mere words or eloquence, nor is age or education a factor. One of the greatest testimonies of all time was given almost two thousand years ago when a man blind from birth said after his healing (John 9:25), "Whereas I was blind, now I see."
A young mother to whom this religion was new listened to error's advice not to testify until she knew more about Christian Science. Error also reminded her that she stuttered when excited. But one Wednesday at a testimony meeting, gratitude so filled her consciousness that she found herself standing up and telling of her child's healing of an ear infection. Not until she sat down, was she aware of the rapid beating of her heart and her flushed cheeks. The error of self-consciousness rushed in to tell her that what she had said had been said badly and that she had made a fool of herself.
After the meeting, young mothers surrounded her, thanking her for her insight into the problem and for the help she had given them. What error would have turned into painful embarrassment became a joyous experience. After that it was easy for her to testify to the healing presence of Truth.
When the children were grown, her prayer for right activity led her to interesting fields where she did a great deal of public speaking and appeared on radio and television. People often remarked on the pleasing quality of her voice and of the control she had over it. So complete had been the healing of the speech difficulty that she hardly remembered the problem that had once plagued her. This healing is but one of the many blessings she has received from giving testimonies.
Other students have found that the frequent giving of testimonies results in more scientific study methods. In order to share the unfoldment better, they have a new desire to take account of the steps that have led to the healing. They no longer waste time asking why a problem came. They lift their thoughts to the spiritual facts that will solve the problem. They turn to Mind for guidance and wait with joyous expectancy for the blessing that glorifies God in human experience.
