WHEN MY SON was a baby, I began having dizzy spells. The difficulty appeared to be with my heart and escalated to where I was sometimes experiencing severe chest pains and other troubling symptoms. This went on for a number of years. I'd call a Christian Science practitioner for prayerful support, and the difficulty would abate, and then return. Finally I realized that I had to sincerely participate in this healing, too. It was a duet. A practitioner reminded me that the definition of heart was exactly as stated in the Glossary of Science and Health, on page 587. She said it was just that, no more and no less. This made a great impression on me because it seemed to simplify the approach to healing, and also to lessen my fear. I commenced an in-depth spiritual study of the word heart in the Bible and the writings of Mary Baker Eddy, and particularly the definition in Science and Health. Each part of it brought me face to face with many areas in which I needed to spiritualize my life and thinking: "HEART. Mortal feelings, motives, affections, joys, and sorrows."
Mortal feelings: I recognized I needed to heal tendencies toward over-sensitivity, anger, and emotionalism. These susceptibilities often occurred when fear tempted me—fear for my baby's health and my own, and particularly fear of the future. However, as I learned more about what God is and does, I saw much more clearly why, as His image and likeness, I could respond to situations using the spiritual sense or intelligence derived from Soul, instead of reacting based on what the physical senses reported. I learned to listen for ideas from this divine Mind so that I could respond appropriately and not react emotionally. I began to see that in reality, there weren't any occasions that could disturb or hurt me; that it was my response to them that mattered and determined my well-being. I acknowledged that I had spiritual dominion over my thoughts and could choose how I wanted to respond. I could look at life as foreboding and a constant struggle, or as Mary Baker Eddy put it, as "Love's divine adventure" (The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany, p. 158).
I chose Love's divine adventure! I began to watch my thinking more consistently. Which thoughts would I let in, entertain, and send out—fear-filled, anxious, tense ones; or God-enlightened, peaceable, loving ones? I practiced listening for the Christ—messages from Mind—and for the spirit of Love and Truth (see Ps. 62:5). Gradually I realized that gaining dominion over my body came as I gained dominion over my thoughts, and I could do this because God had created me able to hear Him, to understand Him, and to obey His impartations.
