Testimony of Healing April 29, 1922 Issue

In August, 1921, I was stricken with severe nervous prostration....

Ralph W. Smith

In August, 1921, I was stricken with severe nervous prostration. The condition was extremely trying, and rapidly became almost unbearable. At that time I had been a student of Christian Science for about ten years and was serving as First Reader in a little church in western Nebraska. I instantly applied Christian Science and tried to handle the case myself; but this soon seemed futile, so I called for help from a practitioner. There appeared to be a slight improvement for a while, but the condition gradually became more serious.

About this time I left Nebraska and came to Cambridge preparatory to enrolling at Harvard. I arranged to have a practitioner help me, and entered school, not knowing how I could possibly do any studying in such a condition. Furthermore, the work in the graduate school I had entered was heavy and required much time, effort, and clear thinking. As the struggle continued I felt at times that perhaps death would be welcome; although my better sense told me this would not liberate me from the false beliefs that were holding me. One Wednesday evening, in The Mother Church, an elderly man spoke who was apparently suffering from the same difficulty and had been searching in vain for relief. He inquired in the open meeting why he was unable to find the relief that so many testified of. Just before the meeting closed, a few words were spoken from the desk,—loving words, in which the wonderful efficacy of gratitude as a healing agent was presented.

With this new concept of gratitude I began to study "gratitude" and "blessings" with the help of both concordances and all of Mrs. Eddy's writings. Gradually I began to feel a sense of gratitude for the sum total of happiness, health, joy, peace, harmony, and good-will that there is to be seen everywhere; gratitude for the happiness of others, without trying to measure what my share of it was or should be. I began to see that one can and should be grateful by reflection; for where there are infinite blessings, how can one help being grateful for living in the midst of so much good! From that day a steady improvement in my condition began, until now I feel as if I were just beginning to live; and perhaps I am, for I have a higher understanding of Life. I have received a spiritual regeneration that is precious beyond price. I have learned something of patience, courage, charity, compassion, humility, gratitude, and—most wonderful of all—purity.

Send a comment to the editors

NEXT IN THIS ISSUE

Testimony of Healing

If we would realize that our testimony, however small,...