I can never express in words the joy that has come to me with the transformation of thought from sense to Soul, from the belief in matter to the knowledge of Spirit. My heart overflows with love and gratitude as I thank God for Mary Baker Eddy and her precious gift, Christian Science.
Twelve years ago I was a bundle of nerves. I felt old and tired. My stomach was a constant source of misery due to ulcers, for which medicine brought no relief. I was envious and jealous of those I worked with, blaming others for my troubles and causing an inharmonious condition wherever I was. Also I was filled with self-righteousness, which condemned and hurt others when they most needed help and which eventually led to undesirable results in my personal affairs. The time came when I prayed that I might die, for, like Job of old, I believed that I had lost every good thing that I had possessed.
Finally my thoughts turned toward God, and then I remembered Christian Science, having attended Sunday School for a few months at about the age of ten. The seeds of Truth sown by my loving Sunday School teacher had endured through the years as a reminder of better things. A practitioner turned my thoughts to the purity of the law of Christ, Truth, and I eagerly studied the Bible and the textbook, Science and Health by Mrs. Eddy.
I do not know exactly when I was healed of the stomach trouble and nervousness, but one day I noticed that I had been free for some time. Gradually many false traits of character fell away, and I learned the blessed power of forgiveness and found happiness in home, family, and friends. In my work I found pleasure and greater productivity. Living became joyous in the knowledge that God is Life and that man, as God's reflection, manifests His power through the consciousness of His nature and presence.
I have been inspired, healed, and protected many times through pondering the meaning of "the scientific statement of being," given on page 468 of Science and Health. One evening I experienced a sense of illness so insistent that I went to bed in a semicoma. I could not arouse myself to read the textbook or to call a practitioner; moreover, I was so overcome by apathy that again I wanted to die. In this condition I recalled slowly word by word "the scientific statement of being." As I did so this angel thought came into my consciousness:"No matter what appears to be, this statement is true." Instantly my bondage was ended. I found myself repeating "the scientific statement of being" with understanding, and I drifted into a peaceful sleep, from which I awakened the next morning in perfect freedom.
Healing of a so-called incurable disease became manifested, and life became truly free, when I proved that there is only one authority, the divine Mind. The blessed privilege of helping others in Christian Science has brought the satisfaction of fulfilling a noble purpose. I am deeply grateful for the understanding gained from these and other experiences, for protection from grief when my mother passed on, and for being able to guide my children away from fear and other false beliefs, as well as for healings of a severe burn, abdominal pains, and the liquor and tobacco habits.
Rich blessings have come to me through membership in The Mother Church and in a branch church, through class instruction, and through our periodicals, especially The Christian Science Monitor, which is leavening the thought of the world.— Tokyo, Japan.
