I attended a Christian Science Sunday School from early childhood. After I finished at the age of twenty, my own study at first seemed like a void. Gradually, however, there developed within me a hitherto unknown thirst for a knowledge of Truth. At every opportunity, I asked Scientists questions. At one time I received a counterquestion: "Why don't you take Christian Science class instruction?" After a talk with a teacher of Christian Science it became clear to me that class instruction is not the culmination of knowledge, but is a starting point for increasing one's true knowledge or understanding of God. Shortly after this, I was accepted for and took class. What I learned then infinitely blessed me and continues to do so.
Several years ago I had a stabbing pain in one of my shoulders from time to time. Each time it disappeared quite quickly. At one point I had to take a long trip by car by myself. I had hardly been underway an hour when the pain appeared again. Soon I could no longer move one arm and hand. I now remembered the Lord's Prayer, which Mrs. Eddy says "covers all human needs" (Science and Health, p. 16.). This petition in it immediately took on special meaning: "And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil" (Matt. 6:13.). Also, the light of Mrs. Eddy's spiritual interpretation of that passage dawned on me: "And God leadeth us not into temptation, but delivereth us from sin, disease, and death" (Science and Health, p. 17.). For the first time, I saw clearly that the pain and paralysis were nothing but forms of temptation—temptation to believe in the power of matter. I refused to be tempted, with an emphatic "No." Two days later, after I had long since reached my destination, I again remembered this incident. I hadn't noticed when I was able to hold the steering wheel with both hands again; the pain had simply disappeared. And it never recurred.
One Sunday afternoon I suddenly felt nauseous, and the entire right side of my body was without feeling. I also had difficulty thinking. But I vaguely recalled some words of one of Mrs. Eddy's poems set to music as a hymn (Christian Science Hymnal, No. 207): "Peace and joy and power." Power and joy both seemed to be lost. But I had no fear. Still I felt that I should ask for help. The telephone was in the next room. I reached it and wanted to call a Christian Science practitioner. But I could only remember the first digit of her number. This I dialed, but since I had not switched over to an outside line, our in-house phone began to ring in the office, two floors below me. There my husband was sitting. He answered and came to my aid immediately. Since I was unable to speak coherently, he began to declare loudly and with conviction "the scientific statement of being" from page 468 of our textbook, Science and Health. The first two sentences got through to me: "There is no life, truth, intelligence, nor substance in matter. All is infinite Mind and its infinite manifestation, for God is All-in-all." I immediately responded and a cozy feeling flowed through me. I then got up and prepared supper, completely free of the problem. There was never another such occurrence.
