"The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage" (Ps. 16:6). This is a testimony of gratitude from one who has had the blessings of Christian Science all her life.
I am grateful that one of the earliest benefits which my parents had through this Science was that of freedom from dependence on medicine for relief from physical difficulties. As a result, I have never tasted medicine of any kind and have not found it necessary to take sick leave during twenty-five years of employment. A slight sense of resentment in that respect, when others at the office would stay home while I was expected to do their work, was completely wiped out several years ago when I accepted the blessing given to the elder son in the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:31), "Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine."
An ingrown toenail was very quickly healed when the suggestion to have an operation was replaced by the understanding of man's present perfection as the child of God. The realization that we do not look to the body, or matter, for either health or sickness came when I read a statement which Mrs. Eddy makes on page 463 of Science and Health, "A spiritual idea has not a single element of error, and this truth removes properly whatever is offensive." A complete healing followed very quickly.
The suggestion to have an X ray of a sprained ankle was reversed with a command in Isaiah (45:11): "Thus saith the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, and his Maker, Ask me of things to come concerning my sons, and concerning the work of my hands command ye me." All fear was destroyed, and the ankle became normal.
A healing which I experienced about five years ago has been an inspiration in working out other problems. One Tuesday evening, while working in the yard, I felt a sting in my eye, which began to swell. I worked, as Christian Science teaches, to realize man's present perfection and his protection from all claims of imperfection.
Then I recalled that during the day there had been quite a bit of joking at the office about one of the girls who had been stung by some kind of an insect and had a badly swollen eye. Apparently I had taken it all in. By the next morning the swelling had gone down considerably, and by the close of the Wednesday evening testimony meeting the healing was complete.
I was serving as Second Reader in a branch church at that time, and I felt grateful that this experience had not taken place on Saturday evening. But I very soon had to prove that that was not the right basis for gratitude. The following Saturday the same thing happened, and early in the evening my eye was swollen almost shut.
I studied all evening in preparation for the reading from the desk of the Lesson-Sermon in the Christian Science Quarterly, and I applied the truths of the lesson to this problem. The subject of the lesson that week was "God," and it brought out clearly the omnipotence, omnipresence, and omniscience of God.
I awakened very early the next morning, and although the physical picture had not changed, I had no fear. The Lesson-Sermon was studied very thoroughly, and as I prepared for church, I held firmly to the present perfection of God's ideas and the unreality of all discord. When I started for church, the eye was still somewhat swollen and inflamed, but by the time the service began the healing was complete. God's Word is indeed with power!
The blessings which I have received through Mrs. Eddy's establishment of the Church of Christ, Scientist, have been many. I am grateful for the spiritual education received in the Christian Science Sunday School and for membership in The Mother Church and in a branch church, which has opened the way for much joyous activity. Class instruction, yearly association meetings, Annual Meetings of The Mother Church, Christian Science lectures, and Reading Rooms—all of these blessings point to Mrs. Eddy's love and thoughtfulness in providing for our growth Spiritward.
I am grateful for the consecrated, loving work of The Christian Science Board of Directors, for those who have provided the healing messages in our literature, and for the workers throughout the world who are daily supporting and forwarding the Cause of Christian Science.— Minneapolis, Minnesota.
