"Shew me thy ways, O Lord; teach me thy paths. Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day" (Ps. 25:4, 5). With a heart filled with joy and gratitude, I offer this testimony. I first became acquainted with Christian Science about twenty years ago through my sister. I was surprised by her patience and unselfishness in caring for her husband, who was an invalid at the time. My sister never showed signs of being tired or nervous.
I realized the spiritual strength she demonstrated was due to the religion she practiced, and one day I told her I also wanted to learn about it. She answered that this was a religion that required study to gain understanding. I then reasoned that if she could understand it, I would one day be able to understand it also, and I told her I'd like to attend a Sunday service with her. I sat in the first row and paid the utmost attention to everything that was read. At the end of the service, when the First Reader read the Biblical passage which begins, "Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God" (I John 3:1), I felt an indescribable sense of liberation from a long-standing resentment toward my father. Because I understood that my real Father is God, and not a human being, I forgave the lack of affection he manifested toward me during my entire childhood and adolescence.
That very same day I obtained copies of the Bible and Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy. To my great surprise I realized, at the end of two weeks, that I had been healed of chronic constipation, from which I had suffered for almost fifty years and for which I had taken many laxatives and purgatives.
