It was September 2023, and I could hardly wait for my yearly visit to see my sister in California. Besides being with family again, I had just gotten an electric bike and was eager to ride with her and her husband on the scenic hills with panoramic views of the ocean.
We had just set off on our initial bike outing, when I began to feel dizzy and disoriented while descending the first hill. I managed to cross a busy street, but slowed down and fell on my side into some bushes. My mobility was limited, but I was able to think and speak clearly. I called out to my sister for help and asked her to phone my husband, who was back at the house. I knew he would support me in prayer and also call a Christian Science practitioner for treatment.
My brother-in-law rode back to his home and returned in a car with my husband. I was in no pain; in fact, I had no feeling at all on one side of my body. Both men had to slide me into the back seat. Passersby offered to help, and I’m so grateful that this wasn’t needed.
Back at the house my brother-in-law lifted me into an upright chair and my husband and I prayed together. He shared with me what the practitioner had said—that the most important thing for me to do was to love God: love God’s goodness, God’s presence, God’s action. He said that God helps us comprehend the goodness and flawless nature of His creation, and that flawlessness included me as a loved idea of God. The message was to keep myself in the love of God, as the Bible says (see Jude 1:21). And that’s what I did!
Within an hour, I noticed that my foot had moved, then my hand, and soon feeling returned to my face. We were of course extremely grateful. I got up and went to my brother-in-law in the next room to give him a big hug. He was happy and relieved to see me mobile. The freedom I felt was natural and a cause for rejoicing.
I was fully recovered and feeling healthy, so a few days later when an opportunity arose to go on another bike ride, I was happy to. Very shortly after we departed, however, I felt a similar dizzying sensation. I found myself on the ground again, leaning against a stone wall this time with my bike resting on top of me.
The following citation from Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy was particularly relevant to me: “In Christian Science there is never a retrograde step, never a return to positions outgrown” (p. 74). My sister asked what she could do for me, and I said, “Just pray.” I felt that was enough.
Traffic had slowed down and a woman approached announcing that she was an emergency nurse, ready to take charge; then a man got out of his car offering assistance, saying he was a doctor. My sister responded with appreciation for their kindness, but told them that we didn’t need medical attention, and they went on their way.
I remembered something the practitioner had said to me earlier. It was to notice that I wasn’t distracted by fear when my attention was on loving God. I knew the less I thought of the symptoms, the better off I’d be.
After our husbands transported me home, the Christian Science practitioner was called again. This time I was encouraged to let nothing else but God influence me or sway my thoughts. I’ve had a lifetime of solid support and healing from relying on Christian Science, so I was ready to focus solely on God. I had learned that, “. . . truth cannot be reversed, but the reverse of error is true” (Science and Health, p. 442). I was committed to holding fast to the truth that man is unfallen and perfect, and that leaning on divine Truth, God, is effective.
The next morning I was feeling normal, with full mobility, and my husband and I made plans to return home. I felt such gratitude to my sister and her husband for their assistance and complete support. With the encouragement of the practitioner, I felt myself pausing to love God. As I acknowledged God’s presence and goodness, I couldn’t help but feel joy.
It was many months before I thought about getting on a bicycle again. However, one Sunday morning the following June I gained the confidence to resume that activity after singing a hymn in our Christian Science branch church. Here are the words that gave me this sense of freedom: “. . . my heart is fixed on this one guarantee: / The Love that is All holds me tenderly,” and “Tender mercies are holding me” (Susan Booth Mack Snipes, Christian Science Hymnal: Hymns 430–603, No. 500). I’m happy to say that I’m regularly and fearlessly riding my bike again.
I’m grateful for this experience because praying through it brought me closer to God. It also made me appreciate my family in new ways. I was blessed by my husband’s care and readiness to be a conduit to the practitioner, by my sister’s willingness to support me in seeking the care that I wanted, and by my brother-in-law’s kind assistance. His cooperation and respect for practicing my religion was deeply appreciated. I continue to value the patience and spiritual persistence God provided for me that made this healing possible.
Bonnie Bleichman
Sante Fe, New Mexico, US
