To include in a testimony all that Christian Science has...

To include in a testimony all that Christian Science has done for me would make it a life-history; for I have had Christian Science all my life, and feel that everything I have I owe to it. During childhood, all difficulties that arose were quickly met and overcome through the application of the truth.

However, we soon learn that no matter what great privileges we have had in learning Christian Science, or how long we may have studied it, the proof lies in how much we can apply of it. My first healing of a so-called severe sickness entirely through my own efforts came when as a girl in high school I realized I was losing the hearing in one of my ears. At the end of several months the hearing had entirely gone. This seemed a terrible calamity to me, especially since I was particularly interested in musical work. In a childlike kind of way I decided upon a course of action. It was during my summer vacation, and I decided to read and study Christian Science just as diligently as I could for a week; then, if the condition did not yield, I would ask my mother to have Christian Science treatment for it. Never was I as earnest in anything as in the mental work done that week; and on the very last day of it the deafness left suddenly like a rising cloud. A few days later fear crept in, and there was a slight return of the condition; but this was overcome and since that time I have been absolutely free. All those who are endeavoring to practice Christian Science know the joy of making one's first demonstration alone; and my joy seemed indeed full.

Even this experience, however, did not seem a sufficient lesson for me. It seems that we all have to be awakened from the dream of materiality, and those who have always known of Science need the lesson too. We are apt to grow self-sufficient and take our health for granted. This was my mental state in 1918, when pneumonia came upon me with great severity Loving practitioners stood firmly at my side working night and day when necessary, and with my healing came a wonderful awakening to and appreciation of the truth. I used to boast that I had had the privilege of attending the Christian Science Sunday School for a period of about seventeen years; but I learned that we have to prove our position every step of the way, and must daily go up higher. Christian Science demands constant progress of us; and if we are not willing to learn our lesson through diligent study and application, we are forced to do so through suffering.

Enjoy 1 free Sentinel article or audio program each month, including content from 1898 to today.

NEXT IN THIS ISSUE
Poem
The Oil of Joy
September 20, 1924
Contents

We'd love to hear from you!

Easily submit your testimonies, articles, and poems online.

Submit