SEVERAL YEARS AGO, a lump formed on my shoulder blade that gradually grew in size and became discolored. Eventually, it became prone to bleeding if I bumped it, so I began to bandage it on a regular basis. Although there was no pain, I knew that I had not given the situation the prayerful treatment that it required.
At that point, I had already been a serious student of Christian Science for more than 30 years. I understood that in Christian Science, prayer is not pleading for favors from God, but rather consistent and specific affirmation of God's allness and the goodness and perfection of His creation. This later affirmation has to be based upon a deep understanding that we, as the children of God, eternal Spirit, are entirely spiritual.
I had resolved problems through prayer before. Over the years, specific prayer had led me to healing results on a number of occasions, including the solution of an academic problem where earlier work with my professors had not produced an answer, the healing of a severe case of warts on both my hands and feet, and calm thought, safety, and protection during a flight that involved an emergency landing.
