I had a remarkable experience several years ago. In the weeks prior to this I had been reading Mary Baker Eddy’s book, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, and had gained a great sense of freedom and inspiration from this study.
One Sunday morning I had an odd sensation in my chest, and later that day I felt an intense pressure in my chest. I called a Christian Science practitioner and requested Christian Science treatment. She agreed to pray for me and assured me that there was nothing to stand in the way of a full healing.
In the chapter, “Christian Science Practice,” Mrs. Eddy presents an allegory about what happens when an individual is accused of being sick and is being “tried” as though he is in court (see pp. 430–442). Found guilty in the lower “Court of Error,” he is sentenced to death. But Christ intervenes, obtaining a new trial in the “Court of Spirit,” where the claim of sickness has no “standing,” or foundation. Thinking about this, I realized that the challenge I was facing had no “standing” either. It was not part of what God was saying to me. It was a suggestion, a “pitch” that I could accept or reject.
