Testimony of Healing July 2, 1910 Issue

In the winter of 1903, I spent a week with a family who...

Agnes Josephine Hewitt

In the winter of 1903, I spent a week with a family who were interested in Christian Science, and although I had heard much said on this subject, I had never read or studied any of the literature. My friends asked me to learn the "scientific statement of being" (Science and Health, p. 468) and the spiritual interpretation of the Lord's Prayer (Ibid., p. 15), and though it took considerable urging at that time before I consented, yet after I had learned this statement, I could not forget it; there was something about it which particularly impressed me.

In the summer of 1905, after having been in boarding-school a year, I found myself face to face with a problem. During the year I had contracted a skin disease, which had spread over my entire body, and as it drew near the time to leave for home, my fear became intensified as to what my family would think when they found out how serious this trouble was. The fact was that I had not told them anything of my condition until I seemed to be growing worse, and even then I spoke of it as lightly as possible. On my last night at school, while I lay wondering what I should do, the thought came very forcibly to me that, if God could heal, as I had often heard He could, surely I had a right to appeal to Him for help; but I knew that it would be necessary first to cast out of my thought all antagonism against the teachings of Christian Science. This done, I began to consider each portion of the "scientific statement of being" very carefully, using this, my only knowledge of Christian Science, in a practical way for the first time.

When morning came, the excitement of leaving for home caused me to forget myself so far as this eruption was concerned; but each of the two nights following (which time it took to reach San Francisco) I worked very hard, as I had done the last night in school. As a consequence, when I got home my body was absolutely clear and all trace of the distressing eruption was eliminated, but as indications still showed on my hands, I was immediately taken to a doctor. Several remedies were prescribed from time to time, but none of these seemed of any avail. Finally the doctor put me through a most rigid examination. This was in October, 1905, and I then declared that I would never enter a doctor's office again—that I was going to be a Christian Scientist; and I stood by this resolution so far as going back to the doctor's office was concerned, but as to being a Christian Scientist—I was far from it. In the first place I was not grateful for the benefit I had already received, and was most unwilling to acknowledge it, although I had looked for healing in that direction; but I may say that in the summer of 1906 I began to be truly interested in Christian Science and to read the literature and to attend services regularly.

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