When I first entered the public practice of Christian healing as a Christian Science practitioner, many people asked me what kind of training I had in order to enter this work. They wanted to know if I had a theological degree, an education in Biblical history, or if I had taken a sociological or even psychological course of study. Their questions were not malicious; these people were just inquisitive. Even today, when I'm talking to pastors of other faiths, or even to students of Christian Science who are considering the public practice of this Science as a career, questions in one form or another still arise concerning my training.
My answer goes back to an experience I had as a very small child. I woke in the middle of the night with a painful earache. I was screaming. My mom took me in her arms and sat us both in her rocking chair and prayed. She said later that although she knew she could call a practitioner for help even at that late hour, she decided that she would begin praying herself.
My mom reached out to God. She knew that His care is always available and supremely powerful. The Bible taught her this. It states, "The word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." Heb. 4: 12 The Bible also taught her that God is Love, and that He loves His children with an everlasting love. She remembered the healing works of Jesus, which continue to teach us that the power of Christ, Truth—demonstrated so fully by the Master—can heal every illness.
