"O Father, Thy kingdom is come upon earth, Thou rulest in all Thy creation" (Christian Science Hymnal, No. 204). These words, sung lustily during the 1975 Annual Meeting in The Mother Church, came to my thought when a young friend's shoulder bag was taken from her in a large department store. I also recalled the time my daughter and her husband were traveling and had their passports, travel documents, and cash stolen from them. The words that came to them then were those spoken by Christ Jesus in his parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:31): "Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine." All of their stolen items were speedily returned.
Now, desiring to help my friend whose bag had been taken, I tried to love my fellowmen more consistently, and to recognize the eternal fact that, by reflection, man has infinite supply from God, who is the source of supply for all His children. The bag, intact in its contents, was quickly restored to its owner. This was another proof that divine Mind's control can be demonstrated in any human situation that may arise. Truly the power of the Word can be felt.
My earliest exposure to this divine healing power was during the First World War, when I was six. I was riding a donkey on the outskirts of the town where my father's regiment was stationed. Suddenly I fell and was dragged by the stirrup along a mile of bumpy road. My father called a kindly doctor to attend to my considerable injuries, and he pronounced sadly that I would never walk again. My mother, an early student of Christian Science, called a Christian Science practitioner for our support. She also engaged a Christian Science nurse to care for me.
