It was moving day, and I had been looking forward to getting settled in our brand-new home. That morning I awoke to find that my menstrual period had become abnormally heavy. Within a couple of hours, it was apparent that I was hemorrhaging. There was so much to do, and I didn’t feel I could sit on the sidelines to pray and let my husband handle everything else.
Having relied on Christian Science for healing all my life, I called a Christian Science practitioner to pray with me. When I described my condition, he calmly reassured me that I was in no danger and that Truth stops the flow of false belief in human consciousness and experience. Truth is a Bible-based synonym for God.
He recommended that I acknowledge God’s absolute loving control over me and recognize that because I am God’s image and likeness (see Genesis 1:26, 27), my every function is under His control.
To allay the fear, I prayed with God’s promise from Isaiah 43: “Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine. When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: … Ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he” (verses 1, 2, 10). Holding to these healing ideas, I remained active and useful throughout the long day of moving and unpacking.
For the next three weeks, hemorrhaging persisted. Daily I immersed myself in study of the Bible and Mary Baker Eddy’s writings, including her seminal work, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures. I endeavored to see myself the way God created man (the true identity of each of us)—spiritual, whole, pure, and perfect, as Jesus demonstrated in his healing work.
I was scheduled to begin jury duty soon, but this problem had rendered me unable to leave the house. A statement from Science and Health, page 542, reads, “Let Truth uncover and destroy error in God’s own way, and let human justice pattern the divine.” This was helpful in bringing release from concern, and it came to me that I had been entertaining a deep sense of loss over a recently concluded activity. Spiritual reasoning brought the recognition that since God is good and the source of all reality, man can never lose or be without good, right activity, and joy.
A strong desire to attend church, which hadn’t been an option for a few weeks, came over me, and I did so with my dear husband’s physical support. The healing atmosphere during the service and the love expressed by the members added to my confidence in God’s power and ability to heal.
Shortly thereafter, I found that, even greater than a desire for physical healing, was my desire to remain faithful to God and His Christ, Truth. This lifted that deep sense of loss. I placed my entire trust in God and dropped any concern about the outcome.
I decided to go forward with my jury duty and accepted this as a call to demonstrate my trust in God, as when Jesus instructed his patients: “Take up thy bed, and walk”; “Stretch forth thine hand”; “I say unto thee, arise” (John 5:8, Matthew 12:13, Mark 5:41). The day I reported, the hemorrhaging began to lessen, and I was able to climb the courthouse steps and spend the entire afternoon sitting through the court case and subsequent deliberations. The other jurors even appointed me foreman.
The hemorrhaging ceased entirely within a few more days, and I continued praying to handle so-called aftereffects, which were completely healed within a short time. This healing occurred 25 years ago, and there has never been a return of the difficulty.
The practitioner helped me see that Christian Science treatment (prayer) means dwelling on and rejoicing in what is God-created, real. As Mary Baker Eddy writes in Science and Health: “When the illusion of sickness or sin tempts you, cling steadfastly to God and His idea. Allow nothing but His likeness to abide in your thought. Let neither fear nor doubt overshadow your clear sense and calm trust, that the recognition of life harmonious—as Life eternally is—can destroy any painful sense of, or belief in, that which Life is not” (p. 495).
I am deeply grateful for a lifetime of healings accomplished through Christian Science, for the example of our beloved Master, Christ Jesus, for Mary Baker Eddy, and for our dedicated practitioners. Christian Science is indeed the promised Comforter.
Constance Watkins
Paducah, Kentucky, US
