When I first began studying Christian Science, one of the most life-changing concepts I encountered was that fear is based on the false assumption that we are separate from God and, therefore, vulnerable. It’s something I’m still learning today: that because of my oneness with God, I can experience only what is real to Him—Life, Truth, Love, and all things good. God’s reality is my reality; they are one and the same.
I love to read testimonies about “first healings” through reliance on Christian Science. Some seem quite remarkable—as if God wants to make a clear point that He exists and answers prayers. I think that was the case the first time I relied on God for healing. Although at the time I had little understanding of the laws of metaphysics, I did have faith in God, and my desire to follow His direction was sincere.
I had visited a dentist to have a broken tooth repaired, but he recommended extraction. My first and overwhelming reaction was fear—I understood that Christian Scientists turned to prayer rather than medicine to handle physical challenges, and I assumed this would preclude the use of anesthesia. (It wasn’t until later that I learned that Christian Scientists sometimes do choose to use anesthesia for dental procedures.) I dreaded the thought of having the tooth pulled! (I had never been a particularly hardy dental patient; once I fainted in a dentist’s chair before he even started the procedure, and had to lie down in a back room until I was calm.)
