Reading Science and Health by Mrs. Eddy from cover to cover in ten days was my introduction to Christian Science literature. Three months later during an ice storm I fell, injuring my mouth on the sidewalk. After reaching the house I started to take care of my injuries, wondering if my mouth needed stitches. I said aloud, "If what I've been reading in Science and Health is true, I'm all right!"
Putting away the first-aid remedies, I sat down to think about this startling statement I had uttered. The first line from Psalm 23 came into my thought: "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want." It came to me very simply with more meaning than ever before, "I know I don't have to want for perfection. I already am God's idea." Within an hour this first simple joy of realizing man's permanent perfection healed me. By morning every trace of injury was gone.
Rapidly reading all of Mrs. Eddy's books from the public library, I grasped some spiritual insight of Christian Science teachings. The Bible stories I had grown up with came alive. The three men in the fiery furnace, Daniel in the lions' den, and Paul, who had the poisonous snakebite, were seen to have been healed and preserved as the natural result of God's law of perfection recognized and applied—not as miraculous happenings.
The next two years healings of blisters, burns, a serious respiratory problem, and conflicts at work came quickly as I studied, affirming and rejoicing in my awakening to man's complete spiritual selfhood. The first Psalm describes how I felt (v. 2): "His delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night."
Membership in both a branch Church of Christ, Scientist, and The Mother Church followed quickly. Class instruction in Christian Science soon deepened my understanding.
Then one summer I gradually lost strength in my right arm. Finally I could not raise the arm or use it, and there was much pain. I had treatment from a Christian Science practitioner and then from my teacher, but I was not freed from the physical suffering. I had to come to grips with the real problem: Which do I believe—is man material or spiritual? Do I listen to messages from matter or from God, Mind?
I knew it wasn't relief from pain and disability I needed. The material belief didn't need to be changed; it needed to be destroyed. Science teaches that disease and disorder are unreal. Through my studying and pondering the Lesson-Sermon in the Christian Science Quarterly and praying for understanding, ideas from pages 399 and 400 in Science and Health, especially two sentences, broke the hold of the false belief that matter has substance and intelligence: "Nerves are unable to talk, and matter can return no answer to immortal Mind" and "The action of so-called mortal mind must be destroyed by the divine Mind to bring out the harmony of being." This was clear to me. I affirmed and accepted what the Christ, Truth, reveals of man's perfection, and I denied that mortal mind has jurisdiction, seeing it as powerless, nothing.
The growing understanding that God is my Mind, the source of all consciousness, and that He is infinite Love was very real. With Paul I could say (Acts 17:28), "In him we live, and move, and have our being." The pain left immediately, and in a week the complete use of the arm returned. There has been no recurrence, as I have never accepted the false belief again. This confirms what Mrs. Eddy says (Science and Health, p. 217): "When you have once conquered a diseased condition of the body through Mind, that condition never recurs, and you have won a point in Science."
After joining a branch church I became a school librarian again. Formerly I believed the whole burden of keeping discipline and work was on my shoulders, my rules, my organization. It was a real Atlas attribute—believing everything I did was by my own ability and strength. Often at the end of the day, even though I enjoyed the work, I would be exhausted from the effort of keeping everything under control.
About a month after I started my job in the school I realized I was not always exhausted and burdened at the end of the day. In fact, I was usually buoyant. I realized my thought had changed radically. Now I saw the students and myself in God's likeness, wanting and able to do what was right. God is the source of all ideas, ability, and strength. I wasn't originating and activating but was expressing them! Freedom of activity did not deteriorate into permissiveness. All problems now became opportunities to more steadfastly know that no individual is ever separate from the qualities of God, regardless of how distorted by ignorance, self-righteousness, or self-will actions seemed to be. Problems always involve some misconception of right and can be solved when this is recognized. During the five years in that position there was much improvement in the day-to-day affairs of the school library. There was no defacement of library furniture and books were not stolen. A more flexible pattern to meet individual student needs was established. I lived with the idea from Science and Health (p. 514): "All of God's creatures, moving in the harmony of Science, are harmless, useful, indestructible."
The first joy of glimpsing all mankind, including myself, as God's likeness, whole and limitless, has stayed with me. These and many other experiences have proved to me that through the teachings of Christian Science each of us can step by step fulfill Christ Jesus' great promise (John 14:12), "He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also." It is truly a joyous journey following Christ Jesus' example, now understood through Christian Science, which was discovered and made available to us by Mrs. Eddy.
Plainfield, Indiana
