I began the study of Christian Science a few years ago, after a twenty-eight-year career in medicine as a registered nurse. Through earnest study, trial, tribulation, and prayer, I have been gradually putting off "the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts." See Eph. 4:22-24 This transformation of thought has been accompanied by physical, emotional, and moral healing.
Prior to my introduction to the Science of Christ, mortal mind—or the universal belief in evil, sickness, and death—had exerted a steady drumbeat in my consciousness. As a medical nurse, I had been trained to scrutinize, analyze, and theorize about the ambiguities of matter. Every nuance was noted and medicated. As a result of this matter-based thinking, I had become very ill. The beliefs of the carnal mind were imaged on my body. It was from this standpoint, mired in the belief in matter, that I began my journey from sense to Soul, out of material medicine and into the reality of divine Mind—the medicine that is God, good. During this transformation, I would sometimes find myself looking into a mirror; seeing a stranger, I would wonder, Who are you?
Mary Baker Eddy, the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, defines God in Science and Health as "the great I am; the all-knowing, all-seeing, all-acting, all-wise, all-loving, and eternal; Principle; Mind; Soul; Spirit; Life; Truth; Love; all substance; intelligence." Science and Health, p. 587 In pondering this statement I found the key to my own identity and the answer to my question.
