In the early hours on Thursday, January 20, of this year, I dreamed I had the flu. I woke up, totally well. But I had to persuade myself that I really was well because the dream had been so convincing. Immediately I thought of Mary Baker Eddy’s statement, “Now I ask, Is there any more reality in the waking dream of mortal existence than in the sleeping dream?” (Science and Health, p. 250).
The night before, walking home from a Wednesday testimony meeting at church, I had been battling with pain in my foot, which had come on suddenly that afternoon. So, when I awoke from the dream, I thought, “This pain in my foot is just like the flu—there’s no more reality in it just because I am awake.” Unfortunately, I didn’t manage to stay with that thought. As the day went on, the thought of the pain took precedence.
On Friday morning, discouraged and afraid, I called a Christian Science practitioner for treatment. I told him I expected to be healed that day. I did have many glorious moments that day of seeing clearly that the problem wasn’t physical. But then I fell into the grip of fear as the foot swelled and became inflamed with a large lump. The next morning I asked the practitioner to continue to pray with me, still expecting quick results.
