As a lifelong Christian Scientist, I have seen many healings through spiritually scientific prayer. I am grateful for the glimpses I have had of the allness of God. However, in recent years, there was a time when I felt weighed down by a sense of materialism, and my spiritual conviction—that sense of oneness with God— became obscured.
In the midst of this "wilderness" period, I felt very threatened and unsure of my ability to demonstrate Christian Science. (The first part of the definition of wilderness in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy reads [p. 597]: "Loneliness; doubt; darkness.") At one point I told my husband and my mother that I doubted I would rely on Christian Science for our son in a serious situation. This expression of fear was certainly contrary to my usual way of thinking, because I had always relied on Truth in times of challenge.
Our son was a preschooler at that time and quite an avid swimmer. In fact, he had enjoyed swimming throughout the summer at a pool we went to frequently where he had learned how to jump off both the low and high diving boards. One Friday, my mother invited me, my sister-in-law, and our children to go swimming at her club. My son went off the high and low boards several times. Then at one point I glanced up just as he fell from the side of the high board onto the concrete below.
