WHEN I WAS DIAGNOSED with degenerative rheumatoid arthritis, the medical specialist said I would become extremely weak and would eventually not be able to move on my own or care for myself. Shortly after, when the symptoms worsened, the doctor prescribed medication so I could withstand the pain, but he said there was no treatment he knew of that could cure the disease.
I have always been a very active woman, and not having freedom of movement was unimaginable. I have two teenage children, and I began to sink with discouragement when I thought about the future with them having to bathe and carry me.
Within a short time, my condition deteriorated to the point that I was no longer able to work, after being a teacher for 28 years.
In my discouragement, I called a close friend who had often picked me up on our way to work at a primary school. During our rides, she would talk about God and tell me that God had created us, and that He had made us perfect. I'd always listen to her attentively because what she said gave me a lot of strength and encouragement. I asked her where these ideas had come from, and she spoke to me about Christian Science. Later she gave me a copy of El Heraldo de la Christian Science [The Herald of Christian Science, Spanish edition]. The articles and testimonies of healing in the magazine shed light on the existence of a God that was completely different than the one I had known before. The God I was learning about now is only good and loving.
Yet, my health continued to deteriorate. I wasn't able to move except with great pain and difficulty, and I lived on the fifth floor of an apartment building that had no elevator. Finally, I called a Christian Science practitioner for help, my friend's mother, who lived in another city. Her voice and her manner of speaking were so comforting. She talked to me about Science and Health and said that from her distant city, eight hours away, she could pray for me. Later, when she came to Mérida to visit her daughter, she brought me a copy of Science and Health. We talked a lot together. Everything she said was based on the greatness of God. That very night I began reading Science and Health and discovered a whole new way of thinking about the world. And for the first time, I also began reading the Bible.
The first chapter in Science and Health, titled "Prayer," seemed fundamental to me in understanding Christian Science. While reading, I was struck by these two sentences: "To enter into the heart of prayer, the door of the erring senses must be closed. Lips must be mute and materialism silent, that man may have audience with Spirit, the divine Principle, Love, which destroys all error" (p. 15). I saw that prayer is like having an intimate conversation with God. Prayer is not merely a request, but a recognition of God's power and giving thanks for all that He has created. As I continued reading Science and Health, I was also surprised to discover that we are God's image and likeness and that this image is spiritual—the opposite of being material. And I began to see that having blind faith in God was not enough to heal. I needed to understand that God is Love itself and that being His image, I was perfect—right now.
I decided to stop taking the pain medication I'd been given and rely on this new understanding of God. As a result, I began to feel better and moved with less difficulty. Within a few weeks I discovered that I could walk and that I could do so more rapidly than I had for some time. Not only that, but I no longer had to walk down the stairs backwards, the way I had before, but could climb up and down without even holding on to the banister. Moreover, I could bend down and get up without any pain. Within about six months of the medical diagnosis, I was completely free of any symptoms of arthritis, and I had returned to work.
My life changed completely, both personally and professionally, after this healing two years ago. Everyone has noticed this change in me—people don't recognize me now. They say I appear much younger than I am and that I'm full of energy. My joy for living has returned. I'm also physically active again and taking exercise classes for one hour every day, dancing to different kinds of music with complete freedom of movement.
This past year has been the most wonderful year of my life. I get up in the morning, pass the day, and go to bed at night, giving thanks to the Creator. I am happy, well, and I'm able to help others through prayer.
I'm certain that what produced this change in my life, enabling me to live more fully, is the understanding that we are spiritual and that God gives us everything we need. The Bible says that He always knows what we need. He always knows.
