For a few weeks every summer, my children go to a camp for Christian Science Sunday School students. It’s always a joyful time for them to be outside, learn a new outdoor skill or sport, and spend time with friends. The new activities often challenge them physically and socially. These experiences compel them to see and acknowledge their God-given abilities, demonstrate a reliance on God for all their needs, and discover how they express strength, joy, love, independence, dominion, grace, creativity, and peace as children of God.
Almost three years ago, my twelve-year-old son came home from camp with a rash on his shoulder. When the rash appeared on more of his body over the next few days, I became concerned that this might be considered contagious, and I should report it. I called an acquaintance who is married to a doctor to ask whether I needed to inform the camp and others of this problem. When I described the rash to the doctor, he said it was not contagious, but that it sounded like Lyme disease from a tick bite and that it was easily treated with medication. I thanked him for his help and hung up the phone. Another source corroborated that that condition was most likely what we were dealing with.
I turned to God for what to do. I wanted to rely on God for healing as we have always done in our family, because we have experienced wonderful healings. However, I gave my son the option of going to a physician or praying about the situation, fully ready to support him in either choice.
He chose to pray, and I called a Christian Science practitioner to support me, my husband, and our son in our praying about the situation. The practitioner and I spoke each day for about two weeks regarding God’s care for my son and his likeness to his Father, God. As God couldn’t create or be touched by disease, God’s image and likeness (which Genesis 1:26 reveals man to be) could not be either.
One of the Bible passages my son loves is this part of a verse in Ecclesiastes: “I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it” (3:14). This was a helpful reminder to both of us that since God, Spirit, had made him whole, finished, and “very good” (Genesis 1:31), there wasn’t anything left to be done.
In Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy refers to God as “the great architect,” who “has created men and women in Science” (p. 68). I like to think of God as my source and maintainer, who created and cares for everyone, including my son.
Even though the rash remained, and I was at times disturbed by the ugly picture, with help from the practitioner I continued knowing the certainty of God’s love and care. The turning point happened one morning when I woke very early thinking about the phrase “only the substance of good.” I hopped out of bed eagerly and found this statement in Science and Health: “As God is substance and man is the divine image and likeness, man should wish for, and in reality has, only the substance of good, the substance of Spirit, not matter. The belief that man has any other substance, or mind, is not spiritual and breaks the First Commandment, Thou shalt have one God, one Mind” (p. 301).
This helpful statement made me realize again that my son is Spirit’s creation, and Spirit would never create anything less than good. As there is only one God, one power, nothing could be added to or taken from my son by any seeming other power. Soon after, the rash began to fade. All the evidence was gone about three weeks after he returned from camp, and he has had no further symptoms since.
I am grateful that no matter where my children are, they are always “under the shadow [the care] of the Almighty” (Psalms 91:1).
Heidi Wenrick
Leonard, Michigan, US
I am the husband mentioned in this testimony, and one of the ideas that was especially helpful to me in relying on Christian Science was a sentence from “the scientific statement of being” in Science and Health that the practitioner had us pray with and think about: “All is infinite Mind and its infinite manifestation, for God is All-in-all” (p. 468). He told us to dig deep into its meaning every time fear or doubt came into thought. This really helped break the mesmerism of the problem for me. I am very grateful for this healing and the growth in my understanding.
David Wenrick
Hi, my name is Ethan. I am the son mentioned in this testimony. One morning I woke up at camp and had a rash. I did not mind it because I assumed that it was just from a scratch from going out a camp cabin window earlier that week.
When I got home from camp, I went to bed. The next morning the rash had gotten bigger. Some time later, I was sitting at home, and I had a thought that I needed to focus less on material sense and more on Spirit, God. It’s what I have been taught my whole life. Every time I get hurt or I am sad, I rely on God to help me.
A few days after this revelation, the rash was gone. I have never had any problems with it anymore. I am very grateful for this experience.
Ethan Wenrick
