For about seven or eight years, I had a growth on the back of my head. Although I couldn't see it, I noticed it whenever I combed my hair. Once in a while I felt a small stab of pain. Since it didn't bother me much, I prayed about it only occasionally. But when the growth began to enlarge and become painful, I knew I had to pray in earnest. I'd had many other healings through prayer, and I felt confident that I would find healing this time as well.
Every morning I rose early and, sitting at the kitchen table, worked slowly through the chapter entitled "Christian Science Practice" in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy. I thought deeply about the many wonderful statement it contains, and although I was very inspired by this study, the condition worsened.
One night the pain was so intense that I couldn't put my head on my pillow. I paced the floor, trying to think of something that would bring me comfort and inspiration. Finally I thought, "Well, you can always pray with the Ten Commandments if that's all you can think of." So I began to make my way through the Commandments, using the synonym Spirit for God where it was applicable. I declared I would worship Spirit only, not matter. I would not make a graven, or "mental," image of the condition by focusing on what it felt like or might look like. I would honor my Father-Mother, Spirit, only. I would adhere to the commandment about not committing adultery by refusing to mix truth and error—by not affirming what I knew to be true about myself as the wholly good offspring of a wholly good God one minute, and then falling back the next minute to entertaining thoughts of this painful condition.
When I came to the commandment about coveting, I asked myself if I ever coveted someone else's healing, thinking, "Why does that person have a quick healing, while I have studied and prayed, and I still have not been healed?" I honestly didn't think I was guilty of this, but from that time on I've learned to be grateful to hear of other people's healings—to see them as proof of the power of Christian Science to heal any disease or problem.
After thinking about these ideas, I felt better. The pain lessened, and I was able to go to bed and fall asleep.
A few days later, the growth started to drain, and I was afraid that it might continue to do so. I asked a Christian Science practitioner to pray with me about the fear, and it was quickly overcome. My sister was also a great support throughout this experience. She was cheerful and encouraging, and took care of washing my hair. One day she told me that the growth looked as though it was just "giving up." Indeed it was, and soon it dried up and fell away.
Shortly after that, when I needed to go to the hairdresser, I asked my sister to check the area on my head to see if it looked OK. She told me that it was completely healed over, but that I now had a shiny pink bald spot about the size of a quarter. Immediately, I declared that something that had not come from God in the first place could not leave evidence of itself. Three days later, my sister was unable to find any trace of a bald spot, and said the hair in that area was the same length as the rest of my hair. To me, this was the most wonderful part of the healing. It still fills me with awe.
LAKE BLUFF, ILLINOIS, US
