WE LIVE IN A TALL, NARROW townhouse in London, and when it got more and more difficult to navigate up and down the flights of stairs, I knew I needed help. For months I'd been experiencing stiffness, swelling, and pain in one knee, and though at first I hadn't given it much thought, it was time to call a Christian Science practitioner to support me in prayer. Over the next few months, there was intermittent relief, followed by pain and restricted mobility.
One day the pain became unbearable, and I went to see the medical staff at my workplace. What the doctor told me was even more disheartening than the pain. He said it looked like arthritis and announced it wouldn't "just go away"—that it would get progressively worse, and there wasn't much he could do about it. With compassion, he handed me some painkillers with a glass of water. I was in so much pain that I took them.
The pills had absolutely no effect, and to be honest, I was disappointed. I was hoping for some relief that afternoon, even if it was temporary. I knew from my own experience that Christian Science heals, and I realized I was looking in the wrong direction if I was looking to a physical solution for help. So then and there, I resolved to seek permanent healing through Christian Science.
