Some years ago, I awoke one morning to the frightening discovery that I could hardly walk or lift my hands above my head; all strength seemed to have left my hands and my body. I started to pray.
I knew that God was with me, and that this difficulty was no part of the spiritual selfhood He had given me. That knowledge wasn't just something abstract or philosophical. I was sure that God loved me and that He was in control of every part of my body.
Those powerful assertions of Truth helped me to remove the initial fear. As I continued to pray, I knew that I could live the truth of Jesus' words: "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect" (Matt. 5:48). I took that as a directive to see myself as God saw me—as a spiritual idea, not as a sick mortal in a material body, experiencing fear and pain.
