Although I had been encouraged by my mother as I grew up to take an active part in church and to study Christian Science, it was only after marriage and the birth of a child that I sought to rely confidently on Christian Science. In fact, it was a specific experience that turned me wholeheartedly to Science.
At about eighteen months of age, our daughter developed a condition that required round-the-clock attention. A doctor recommended the child be hospitalized to give me some respite and to enable tests to be carried out. The tests provided no conclusive diagnosis, so my extremity became God's opportunity.
I called a Christian Science practitioner for assistance through prayer. Despite the debilitating nature of the condition, under Christian Science treatment this child soon resumed normal activity and has since led an active and healthy life, taking part in netball, tennis, riding horses, and swimming. We were committed to Science from that point on.
On another occasion, while riding her horse bareback in his enclosure, this daughter was thrown to the ground as the horse passed beneath a tree. A Christian Science practitioner who answered our call for help directed me to the following verse in Job: "For thou shalt be in league with the stones of the field: and the beasts of the field shall be at peace with thee." I was also reminded of this statement in Science and Health by Mrs. Eddy: "Metaphysics resolves things into thoughts, and exchanges the objects of sense for the ideas of Soul."
I saw that in reality there could be no conflict between the earth and man, both actually spiritual ideas whose substance is spiritual, nor could God's ideas harm one another but could only move in harmony. This understanding of spiritual truth resulted in complete freedom for our daughter, and horse and rider continued their joyful partnership.
We live in a suburb on a hill surrounded by native bush. One day, extreme heat and high winds resulted in a bush fire of devastating proportions. That day I studied the Bible Lesson (outlined in the Christian Science Quarterly) in depth, unaware of the details surrounding the outbreak. My daughter had been visiting friends on the city fringe and telephoned me to say she had decided to return home via a route away from the outbreak.
These lines from Science and Health kept coming to me during the time she was en route: "To mortal sense, sin and suffering are real, but immortal sense includes no evil nor pestilence. Because immortal sense has no error of sense, it has no sense of error; therefore it is without a destructive element." When she arrived home I found she had been wonderfully protected; the fire had jumped the road ahead of her at two points, and vehicles later were not able to negotiate the road.
In my own experience, the illusory nature of physical conditions was clearly demonstrated in the following incident. I became involved in a situation where someone seemed very stubborn and difficult to work with. At this time one of my knees became very painful. As I prayed about both of these difficulties, an amusing incident occurred involving the first situation. Both increased spiritual understanding and a sense of humour pervaded the atmosphere of my thought, and by the end of the day I was walking freely. It became obvious to me that fear and tension had created the pain, which had dissipated as prayer and humour had lifted the mesmerism. Before long the situation with the "stubborn person" was fully resolved.
Another instance of God's care and protection occurred when my purse, containing a large amount of cash, fell off a car that traveled some ten kilometres before the loss was discovered. Despite the fear and dismay of others, I held to the facts that as God's image and likeness I could not be deprived of what was rightfully mine, nor should I accept that God's man could be careless or dishonest. The purse was returned intact.
These are only some of the salutary experiences I have had during almost thirty years of association with the Christian Science movement. The wholehearted acceptance of Christian Science has enabled me to discard timidity and a lack of confidence and has provided assurance and freedom. Also, I was wonderfully sustained when my husband passed on.
I am most grateful for the many opportunities to serve as a church member, for the Christian Science periodicals, for the unstinting devotion of practitioners, for the privilege of class instruction in Science, and, in hindsight, for the encouragement of my mother.
Aldgate, South Australia, Australia
