Following the example set by Mary Baker Eddy's question and answer columns in the early Journals, this column will respond to general queries—such as the one below. It will generally not cover questions about how to interpret statements in Mrs. Eddy's writings. There's more information at the end of the column about how to submit such questions.
Sometimes when I've called a Christian Science practitioner, he or she has suggested that I pray with a particular passage from the Bible or one of Mrs. Eddy's writings. But other times, the practitioner has simply agreed to take the case without giving me something specific to do. In healing, what is the practitioner's role, and what is the patient's?
I once heard a story about an eagle that was brought up in a hen pen. The eagle never knew what strength he had in his wings until his trainer took him out each day and taught him how to fly. One day the eagle just soared away.
