About five years ago I had a skin infection covering a large portion of my right arm. It developed the day after I had been pruning some shrubs. For some time, I had felt burdened that my home's extensive landscaping had gotten out of control. I was also irritated by the very hot weather. Furthermore, my five-year-old neighbor insisted on chatting with me that day as I was busily working in my yard. Ordinarily I enjoyed visiting with her, but I was concerned about her being near while I used the electric shears. Mostly, I had been more intent on finishing the project at hand than appreciating the omnipresence of God's love.
Although it was necessary to bandage the arm and change the bandages frequently, I decided at the outset not to fasten my attention on the material condition. It certainly did not represent my true identity as a child of God but was an inharmonious belief about me.
Mrs. Eddy states in Science and Health, "When we remove disease by addressing the disturbed mind, giving no heed to the body, we prove that thought alone creates the suffering" (p. 400). I realized that I did not need to be disturbed with any aspect of my life, because God did not make laws of discord. The opposite of discord is true: my life is under divine Mind's harmonious control.
