"Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits" (Ps. 103:2). My heart is filled with unceasing gratitude for Christian Science and for the spiritually scientific laws God revealed to Mrs. Eddy, which she gave to the world in Science and Health.
In 1924, my father passed away, leaving my mother with five small children to care for. She suffered a nervous breakdown, and after being treated by medical doctors for over a year, she was told there was nothing more they could do for her. A friend told her of Christian Science, and she was directed to a practitioner for help. Her complete healing quickly followed. She started attending Christian Science church services and enrolled my sisters, brother, and me in the Christian Science Sunday School.
"Divine Love always has met and always will meet every human need" (Science and Health, p. 494). As we applied the truths of Christian Science daily, all our needs were supplied in the most unexpected ways. Even though we did not have the material things other families had, we had spiritual substance and understanding, which made our family a happy, loving, and harmonious one, something I shall always treasure in my heart.
While my husband was not a student of Christian Science, I will always be grateful for his respect for Science. He allowed our two daughters to abide by its teachings whenever a problem arose. They both had perfect attendance records at school, and were protected from the so-called children's contagious diseases through the understanding given in Science and Health regarding contagion on pages 153 and 154.
Two healings stand out to me. A sore came on my hand, but I did no specific prayerful work. A short time later, when I noticed six or eight more sores on my hand, I became alarmed and called a practitioner for help. We prayed together, and every time the thought of the sores entered my thinking I replaced it with the statement (Science and Health, p. 480): "When the substance of Spirit appears in Christian Science, the nothingness of matter is recognized. Where the spirit of God is, and there is no place where God is not, evil becomes nothing,—the opposite of the something of Spirit." After three treatments the sores dried up and dropped off.
Also, about ten years ago I became aware of large lumps in my breasts and became fearful. No one knew about the condition except myself and a practitioner. After I had prayerfully held my thought to God and to the true concept of man as His spiritual image and likeness, the lumps disappeared.
I am humbly grateful for the trials and tribulations which have come into my experience along the way, and turned me to God's care. Also, I have been learning a lesson of patience. Mrs. Eddy tells us (ibid., p. 454) that "patience must 'have her perfect work.'"
Progress in my understanding of Christian Science has been enhanced through membership in The Mother Church and in a branch church, where I have served as Second Reader, clerk, and a member of the executive board. I am grateful for all the activities provided by the Christian Science movement, including class instruction.
Lakeside, California
