I had just gotten out of the dentist's chair after having my teeth cleaned, when a pain in my back started to bother me. I really didn't give this a second thought as I drove to the office to finish out my day. But during the course of the afternoon, the pain intensified to the point where I had to leave work earlier than usual.
Shortly thereafter I shared my concerns with a Christian Science practitioner about what might have caused the pain. He told me that I did not need to give this pain any reality. He pointed out that matter never had a beginning, never had any intelligence to assert itself, and, in fact, never existed. The practitioner further explained that we were not dealing with an object or a condition, but only with a suggestion. We also discussed this reference in Science and Health: "When the illusion of sickness or sin tempts you, cling steadfastly to God and His idea. Allow nothing but His likeness to abide in your thought" (p. 495). I held to this statement all that night as I sat in a chair, catching a few minutes of sleep whenever I could.
The next day I could not take a deep breath without experiencing a sharp pain in my back. Again the practitioner lovingly urged me to get over the idea that there was a difficult condition to be dealt with or any form of matter to be sick. He was insistent that there was no involuntary intrusion in my thought, no space where God is not, and no seams for evil to come through. I continued to think deeply about these things, but the pain did not abate. On the second day, just moving around seemed to be a major effort, and my breathing was very labored.
