As a college student in the early 1960s, I had the opportunity to take a tour of Western Europe and the Soviet Union. During our second week in Russia, I became ill with a severe case of diarrhea.
For several days I retained no food. I felt alone and afraid, and there was no way to telephone a Christian Science practitioner or my mother. I worried that if the tour leader realized I was sick, he might insist I be placed in a Russian hospital!
I had been praying for myself, but there hadn’t been any improvement. On the third night, I decided to skip dinner and stay in my room and pray. I felt too weak to read, but I could certainly pray! I asked God what needed to be healed.
The Cold War was raging at that time, and as I prayed, I realized that the mental atmosphere of depression, as well as the issue of government domination and lack of freedom, had been weighing me down. Armed with this perception, I saw that I needed to reverse these negative world beliefs I had been ruminating on. Since reading was difficult, I turned to hymns in the Christian Science Hymnal that I loved and knew by heart.
The fourth verse of Mary Baker Eddy’s poem “Satisfied” (set to music in the Hymnal) came to thought:
Love looseth thee, and lifteth me,
Ayont hate’s thrall:
There Life is light, and wisdom might,
And God is All.
(Hymn No. 160)
This was my answer. I saw that divine Love was lifting me out of the false material impressions. No matter where I was, my thinking could be free and fearless because of the knowledge that God, good, is All.
Then I prayed and considered what spiritual qualities of God, when accepted and expressed, would destroy fearful and negative thoughts, which have no place in the one divine Mind. The quality of joy came to mind. I asked myself what the most joyous hymn was that I could think of. An Easter hymn, No. 413, came immediately to thought. And now I was able to sing it! It begins,
Let us sing of Easter gladness
That rejoices every day,
Sing of hope and faith uplifted;
Love has rolled the stone away.
The last verse concludes,
Freed of fear, of pain, and sorrow,
Giving God the honor due,
Every day will be an Easter
Filled with benedictions new.
(Frances Thompson Hill, Hymnal, © CSBD)
This hymn reminded me of the definition of resurrection in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy, which includes “spiritualization of thought” (p. 593). With great gratitude I knew I had experienced this.
I fell asleep, slept the whole night, and ate a large breakfast the next morning. I was completely healed and continued to enjoy the rest of the trip.
I’m so very grateful for this milestone experience, and for the many Christian Science healings my family and I have experienced in the ensuing years.
Diane Tokheim
Palo Alto, California, us
