It was a shock when the examiner told me in my mid-twenties that my driver's license would be restricted because I needed glasses for distance perception. Each time I put the eyeglasses on to drive, however, I thought, "I don't want to wear glasses for the rest of my life." What could I do to change this? I spoke to a Christian Science practitioner about the restriction, and she assured me that it was better to wear the glasses temporarily and be able to see clearly and safely, but always to declare, when putting them on, that they were temporary. As a Christian Scientist who had relied on prayer for all my needs, I knew that my mental concept had to change if I expected to have a change in my experience. The body expresses only what we—consciously or unconsciously—accept .
I began praying in earnest, studying references and articles about vision, perception, discernment, light, and focus. One thing that struck me was the importance of light in reflection. Without light there would be no reflection. Science and Health says, "When Jesus declares that 'the light of the body is the eye,' he certainly means that light depends upon Mind, not upon the complex humors, lenses, muscles, the iris and pupil, constituting the visual organism" (p. 393).
I prayed to enlighten my understanding of God and of my relation to Him. Was I seeing others as God created them—in His image and likeness? When I began challenging myself this way, I realized that I was critical of almost everything—people and situations. Recognizing what I had been doing was the easy part, though! Next came the hard part—changing a habit that until now I hadn't been aware of.
It wasn't easy, but gradually I began replacing the critical, negative thoughts about people or situations with the truth that each one with whom I came in contact was, in fact, the image and likeness of God. It was important to keep knowing that God expresses Himself harmoniously through all His ideas and that there is no conflict in the way He expresses Himself through His ideas.
The next time I went for renewal of my driver's license, glasses were not even mentioned, as I successfully passed the vision test without them.
I wore the glasses while driving, since it was the lawful and wise thing to do for my safety and that of others. But I continued my study to improve my understanding of God and my relation to Him. Following Jesus' example was what I needed to do, but simple it was not! Yet every effort was rewarding.
Four years later I moved to another state. When testing for my driver's license I was asked if I had glasses. When I said yes, the examiner indicated that mine was a borderline case, and I could use them if I felt I needed to. I continued to use the glasses for a while until I gradually realized that I could see better without them. I also continued to pray to know that nothing could obscure my seeing (knowing) God's perfect creation.
The next time I went for renewal of my driver's license, glasses were not even mentioned, as I successfully passed the vision test without them. Since then, I have enjoyed many years of driving without glasses.
To show how complete Christian Science healing is, a few years later when most of my contemporaries were putting on reading glasses, I did not need them, nor do I now. When I first started praying to overcome the belief that I could not see clearly at a distance, I realized that since God, good, is everywhere—near and at a distance—I could see good in everything and everybody.
Is it any wonder that I'm so grateful for Christian Science? This is just one of many proofs of God's care that I've experienced.
Vancouver, Washington
