Testimony of Healing May 8, 1926 Issue

I was brought up in a so-called orthodox church, taught...

Herbert H. Norsworthy

I was brought up in a so-called orthodox church, taught to pray night and morning and to attend the church services, which I did for many years. But my prayers were not prayers of faith, and contained little hope. Looking back, I feel sure that I kept them up as long as I did only from a kind of superstitious fear that something terrible might happen to me if I dropped them. But finding later that many people never prayed and never went to church, and that nothing very terrible seemed to happen to them, I gave up my prayers, and for years my wife and I rarely attended a place of worship, except when there seemed nothing else to do.

As time went on, however, we began to realize more and more that there was something lacking in our lives. There was something that would not be satisfied: we were not happy. We sought happiness in various ways, such as in sport, games, motoring, in our home, and so on. At times we seemed to meet with some measure of success, but only to find later that true happiness had eluded us. And with each disappointment a cloud of despondency would settle down over us which seemed to become more and more difficult for us to dispel or rise above. At length we seemed to reach a climax; health and occupation were threatened, and we could not go on as we were any longer. Something must be done at once. But what? Materia medica had been tried and failed. Religion, such as we understood it, offered us no aid.

At this point a friend mentioned Christian Science and gave us a copy of the textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" by Mary Baker Eddy. We read this book, but did not at first realize the treasures that lay before us and studied only in a dilatory manner. For my part, I was somewhat resentful and did not care to think that others, who perhaps had not had so good an education as I, could possibly teach me anything about God. Consequently much proffered help was rejected. Doubtless, however, we were taking in the wonderful truths of this teaching as fast as we were ready to receive them.

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