It would take many pages for me to testify fully to the infinite blessings which have come to me through Christian Science. Although I attended Sunday School regularly as a child and always tried to uphold the principles taught both at home and in Sunday School, there were years when my children were small that I did not attend church regularly. My husband was not a Scientist, so it seemed even easier to neglect this important activity. One day a dear friend and neighbor who had five children and always managed to get to her church asked me why I did not go to church and good-naturedly called me a "heathen." This was not a very subtle awakening, but it did the job, and from that time on I made every effort to get to the church services. Soon my husband joined me, and before long we both became members of a branch Church of Christ, Scientist, and The Mother Church.
Raising four children has afforded many opportunities to prove the healing and preventive efficacy of Christian Science. Some of the healings we have experienced have been instantaneous, but the ones which seemed to take longer to yield were the ones which brought the greatest growth in spiritual understanding and progress for the whole family. One of these testing times came to me not too long ago while we were living in a small town.
One of our daughters was ill. When it became evident that the problem was worsening, I called a Christian Science practitioner and together we worked to see the nothingness of this sickness and the allness of God and His all-embracing love for His spiritual idea, man. In the days that followed, our daughter and I talked with the practitioner often, and each time we were encouraged and uplifted by the absolute statements of Truth we heard. It seemed difficult, however, to keep our joy when the physical symptoms showed no improvement.
Our other daughter was besieged with questions at school, and there was much speculation in the town about the problem, along with expressed concern that we were not doing anything. But we stood fast. Mrs. Eddy says in Science and Health (p. 238), "To obey the Scriptural command, 'Come out from among them, and be ye separate,' is to incur society's frown; but this frown, more than flatteries, enables one to be Christian." Many nights I read passages from the Bible to her, and her sister and I took turns reading aloud from the Bible and Science and Health to keep our thought with God. We sang hymns while she silently read the words.
During this time she was not able to eat and could take only small sips of liquid through a straw. She was becoming very discouraged and feeling responsible for her seeming inability to meet the problem, being concerned that this was bringing criticism of Christian Science in the town. I assured her that Christian Science was not on trial, that this was a false sense of responsibility which was not hers, and that there was never anything going on but God's goodness.
At this point fear and discouragement began to handle my thinking, and mortal mind declared, "What if you aren't able to overcome this?" to which I would quickly answer, "My only duty is to glorify God ... to understand and know Him better . . . to love Him more." One day in desperation I cried aloud, "Father-Mother God, what is it you want me to know?" These words came to me from Isaiah (41:10): "Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness." The next day a dear, longtime friend and practitioner arrived in town on a visit. The practitioner who had been treating our daughter was delighted that someone close to her could be there with her to visit and comfort her. I felt the burden of fear fall from me as our friend assured me with much conviction that there was nothing to fear.
The following week our daughter was back in school. Her teachers thought that she would have to go to summer school to make up the work she had missed in those five weeks, but she made up the work effortlessly and also made excellent grades through the semester. There was no period of recuperation, and she spent an active summer just a few weeks later at a summer camp, riding, hiking, and swimming. I am most grateful for the staunch, patient help of the practitioners who helped us while we went through those deep waters and at other periods of feeling separated from God.
Everyday my gratitude increases for Christ Jesus for his glorious example, and for Mrs. Eddy for revealing the Science of the Christ, Truth, to all mankind. At first the trials of living in a small town and working in a small Christian Science Society seemed overwhelming, but it strengthened the children in Science, as well as my husband and me, and provided us with experiences which have continued to be invaluable. The highlight of these experiences was class instruction. For all of this and much more, I am truly grateful.
Indianapolis, Indiana
Through experiencing this healing I became even more aware that Christian Science is the only way. As my mother stated, the time it took for this problem to yield was at times very discouraging, but the one passage that kept me from giving up was the opening sentence from Science and Health (Pref. p. vii), "To those leaning on the sustaining infinite, to-day is big with blessings." These blessings became most evident to me after I returned to school. I had not quite two weeks to make up five weeks of work and several semester projects. My teachers were at first doubtful that I would come through, but they became more and more willing everyday to cooperate and see that I finished the work by the close of school. As one of my teachers handed my report card to me, she remarked, "Becky, this certainly has been a miracle." That was a perfect ending to my school year and the beginning of a wonderful summer camp experience.
I, too, am very grateful for all the blessings that came from this healing.
