I am deeply grateful that my great-grandmother, around a hundred years ago, was introduced to Christian Science, recognized its practicality in everyday life, and took it for her own. Six generations of my family have benefited, and are benefiting, from that decision.
I was already
God's unblemished,
obedient
reflection.
About a year and a half ago, I noticed a small bump on my shoulder. I didn't pay much attention to it at first, but when it didn't go away I became mildly concerned about it. Then one day my husband noticed it and, pointing to it, said, "Shouldn't you be doing something about that?" Since he is not a Christian Scientist, I assumed he meant that I should be doing something medical about it. Not wishing to do that, I tried to ignore the whole subject.
However, a few days later, I came to the realization that he was actually right. I should be doing something about it! As a Christian Scientist, I should be praying and claiming my God-given freedom from any such abnormal condition.
So, I began to pray for healing of this ugly growth. I have had many healings in my life that have been brought about by relying on Christian Science alone, so I knew I could trust prayer again for this situation. But, instead of receding and disappearing as I thought it should, the growth became larger, more noticeable, and more uncomfortable.
Finally, after several months, I became impatient and fearful, so I called a Christian Science practitioner for treatment. She said she would pray, and I went back to my study of the Bible and of Science and Health to continue looking for my answer. I knew that I would find what I needed there.
As I studied and prayed, I came across a passage in Science and Health that says, "In patient obedience to a patient God, let us labor to dissolve with the universal solvent of Love the adamant of error, —self-will, self-justification, and self-love,—which wars against spirituality and is the law of sin and death" (p. 242). As a noun, adamant is "a hard stone." It seemed appropriate for me to look with humility into my experience for instances of "self-will, self-justification, and self-love" and allow divine Love to dissolve them. Yes, I found some, but it occurred to me that this "self" is not the real me—that there are not two selves, one that is mortal and could express these unattractive qualities, and one that is spiritual and Godlike. I couldn't change an unpleasant human condition into a pleasant or "normal" one; the only self I have is spiritual, already reflecting divine Love. I began to understand that I could only do God's will, that I was already His perfect, unblemished, obedient reflection. The fear subsided and the physical condition, though apparently unchanged, seemed less and less important.
Then, one day, a small slit opened up on my shoulder and a hard, unsightly mass painlessly removed itself. Soon, the opening closed. My daughter noticed the absence of the bump and asked if I had had it removed. I was so grateful to be able to tell her of this healing. It was not, however, the end of this experience, for the prayer and study I had done led to the uncovering of several other long-standing problems, and healing began with those as well.
The Bible says in Hebrews, "For 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" (4:12). That Word of God does indeed reach deep into our thought to uncover and remove every illegitimate and erroneous concept that may be lurking there. Science and Health states, "A spiritual idea has not a single element of error, and this truth removes properly whatever is offensive" (p. 463).
I am so very grateful to have witnessed this mental surgery and to have seen the power of God's will. This experience will remain an important reminder for me as I continue to watch for and guard against "the adamant of error" in my life.
Glenview, Illinois
