One afternoon, while getting up from a chair at my office, I suddenly lost my balance and went crashing down hard on the floor. As it happened during lunch break, nobody was around.
I immediately declared to myself, “Accidents are unknown to God.” This statement of truth is found in the Christian Science textbook, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy (p. 424), which brings out that God, divine Mind, is the only cause and governs the universe harmoniously. Knowing that this is a spiritual law governing me and everyone immediately calmed my fears. Although the pain in my back was quite intense, I managed to get up by myself and found someone to drive me home.
Once I was home, I called a Christian Science practitioner for treatment. My fears were growing again, as the possibility of a back injury seemed so real. I struggled with intense pain every time I moved. This went on for quite some time and I began to worry about whether I would be able to travel to attend a church-related event in the coming weeks. The practitioner lovingly reminded me of two passages from Science and Health: “Mind is the source of all movement, and there is no inertia to retard or check its perpetual and harmonious action” (p. 283) and “Mind measures time according to the good that is unfolded” (p. 584). I knew then that only good—not pain or fear—was unfolding for me every moment.
One morning, a friend who is a doctor and knew about the injury offered to take me to the hospital to have an X-ray. She told me that I needed a clear diagnosis of the injury. I politely declined her offer.
Some time later a cousin called and suggested some painkillers. She told me that she’d had a similar problem and it took her four months to heal.
I suddenly realized that both of these suggestions, intended to be caring, were opportunities for me to stand for the truth that Christian Science heals. I’ve had many physical healings through applying the truths I’ve learned in Christian Science. Once I recognized this, I knew I had uncovered the error in thought that needed correction: I didn’t need to get a clear diagnosis of the physical injury; I needed to keep a clear sense of what was spiritually true.
Mrs. 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. Let Christian Science, instead of corporeal sense, support your understanding of being, and this understanding will supplant error with Truth, replace mortality with immortality, and silence discord with harmony” (p. 495).
The practitioner and I continued to know that my real structure is spiritual, which means always intact and without pain.
One day I read an article in the Journal called “A little book with big ideas” (October 2018), which references an article by Robert Peel about the Manual of The Mother Church by Mrs. Eddy—a book that establishes the structure and governance of the Church—and says the Peel article brings out that “the Manual must serve as a backbone of effort, not as a straitjacket for inspiration.” This spoke to me, as I was using a back brace for support and it felt to me like a straitjacket. I began to see it was inhibiting healing inspirations, as I felt I was giving power to material support when I knew that man, being spiritual, is truly supported by God. I also realized that the church-related event I was due to attend was supported by the Manual. I saw the correlation and rejoiced to know that I was healed, even though physically it didn’t seem apparent yet. Confident of this, I went ahead with my trip three weeks later and noticed that I’d had a full healing only after sitting on the plane for about three hours without any pain or discomfort.
I am deeply grateful for this healing and for the spiritual growth gained through a better understanding of God that demonstrates that Christian Science does heal.
Dewi Mahendra
Jakarta, Indonesia
