One day when I was an older pupil in the Christian Science Sunday School of a branch Church of Christ, Scientist, my teacher noticed me staring at a deep burn on my hand, caused by a spill of hot oil. Every time the wound started to heal, it would open again. The teacher spoke to me briefly about the spiritual truth of my relationship to God. From that point on, the healing progressed steadily, leaving the flesh and skin completely normal and without scars.
As a child, I seldom missed attending Sunday School, as well as the Sunday services (held at a different hour) and Wednesday testimony meetings. At first I balked at using my "free" hours in this way, but as time passed, church attendance became enjoyable and important to me. I see my continuing participation in church activities, together with systematic study of the Bible Lesson, as crucial factors in my spiritual development during a period of over forty years.
One Sunday morning as I rushed about trying to get our children ready for Sunday School, I noticed that one child's face had broken out in a rash. Immediately I was reminded of this passage in Miscellaneous Writings by Mrs. Eddy (p. 229): "A calm, Christian state of mind is a better preventive of contagion than a drug, or than any other possible sanative method; and the 'perfect Love' that 'casteth out fear' is a sure defense." I realized that in my hurry I had been anything but calm, and I set about at once to correct this through prayer. When my thoughts were calm I clearly affirmed the child's innate spiritual perfection. The rest of our "getting ready" time was happy for everyone, and by the time we arrived at church the child's face was perfectly clear.
