ONE EVENING, about ten years ago, I was stricken with severe pain in my lower back and abdomen. Having been raised in Christian Science, my first inclination was to pray for myself. I prayed based on the spiritual fact that I was not, as it appeared, a suffering mortal, but a creation of God, made in His image and likeness, as the Bible teaches. This meant I was, like God, incorporeal, and could no more suffer than God could. Relief from the pain came in about 20 minutes.
But the following morning on my way to the office, the pain returned with full force. This time I contacted a Christian Science practitioner to pray with me. I told him that I was plagued by a childhood memory of my stepdad who had once been rushed to the hospital with kidney stones. The practitioner assured me that as the image of God I was not subject to medical predictions or diagnoses. In under an hour I was again free of pain.
However, the following night I had another attack and struggled, it seemed, to stay alive. My wife was up with me most of the night singing hymns and reminding me that I was not alone, but that the tender Christ was present to save and heal me. She also kept the practitioner well informed of my progress. By morning, I was much better and had a normal day.
