For many years I suffered with severe stomach and digestion issues. At one point, when I was about fifteen, I chose to have surgery to relieve the symptoms, but it did not help. Later in life, at about the age of thirty, I was hospitalized as a result of many debilitating symptoms that had progressed over the years, symptoms that made it difficult to have a “normal” life or even to leave my home for extended periods of time. During my time in the hospital, after several tests, I was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease. I was told that there was no cure and that it could be managed by taking about twenty prescribed medications per day, as well as monthly visits to the hospital for injections.
My mom was raised in Christian Science, and when she married my dad, he also began to study it. My siblings and I attended Sunday School; however, I stopped going at about the age of fifteen.
Before my admission to the hospital as an adult, I had been searching for a better way. I had been reading a lot of books about spirituality and self-help, but still not studying the teachings of Christian Science that I had grown up with. After I was diagnosed and released from the hospital, I reached out to my sister, who was an active Christian Scientist, and asked for her support. The first thing she shared with me was this quote from Isaiah: “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness” (41:10). I felt an immediate comfort from those words, yet I was doubtful that my health would be benefited by them.
