When my wife and I retired, we wanted to devote ourselves to Christian Science as volunteer workers. We prayed for guidance, acknowledging that "desire is prayer," as is stated on page 1 of Science and Health: "Desire is prayer; and no loss can occur from trusting God with our desires, that they may be moulded and exalted before they take form in words and in deeds." We learned of a volunteer program at a Christian Science care facility, and soon were engaged in very rewarding work.
My duties included lifting heavy boxes in a storeroom. Years of working as an editor of a property-casualty insurance magazine had familiarized me with insurance claims related to accidents from heavy lifting. I was pleased that I experienced no discomfort from the lifting, but neglected to give God the credit for my well-being. Shortly after that, as I lifted a box, I felt a sharp pain in my lower back. At first I was alarmed that I could not call for help because I was alone. Then I realized that God was right where I was and that His help was all I needed. I immediately affirmed that my every action was protected by divine Mind, and that, in the words of Paul in Acts, "In him we live, and move, and have our being" (17:28). I was under the jurisdiction of divine Mind, no matter how disturbing any human situation appeared.
I prayed for clearer understanding that Mind was my creator as well as my maintainer. Improvement was slow, however, and it was difficult to get comfortable while standing or lying down. The thought came that this could be a permanent injury, one that I would have to "learn to live with." I recognized this as merely an aggressive mental suggestion, and was grateful that I had researched the By-Law in the Manual of The Mother Church entitled "Alertness to Duty" (Art. VIII, Sect. 6). It counsels each church member, in part, "to defend himself daily against aggressive mental suggestion." I realized that these suggestions are nothing more than thoughts that attempt to undermine the inseparability of God and man— something that can never be done.
