In January of 1926 I was healed of uric acid poisoning

Rachel E. Carnahan with contributions from Ethel Sefton

In January of 1926 I was healed of uric acid poisoning. I was stricken very suddenly. A Christian Science practitioner was called, and the healing took place the latter part of the first week, but it was several weeks before I regained my strength. I have no recollection of the first two calls the practitioner made, as I was unconscious at first, but at the third call he said that Mrs. Eddy had written, "When the illusion of sickness or sin tempts you, cling steadfastly to God and His idea" (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 495). My answer was, "It is absolutely impossible." I had not been able to get one ray of light. But the practitioner still insisted this was the way; and when he had gone, leaving me, as he said, with "divine Love," I said in a very weak and tired voice,

"He says I have to do it, andI shall have to;" and in the endeavor to cling to God I arose and walked, with the assistance of a friend. Instantly these words from Science and Health (p. 239) came to my thought: "The perfect Mind sends forth perfection, for God is Mind." I clung steadfastly to this statement and felt stronger. I also sang the hymn beginning,

"I know no life divided, O Lord of life, from Thee."

The two verses of this hymn were repeated over and over again during this illness, and in a few days the healing was complete.

I was grateful for the sense of obedience that was manifested in the childlike thought, "He says I have to do it, and I shall have to," and for the healing Truth that sustained me. This testimony is given with a glad and grateful heart. The friend who was caring for me declared for Life; that my knowledge of God, good, was my life and could never be interfered with, and stood fast by this declaration.

I have had many other healings, one of great grief and loss, but among them all the healing I have mentioned above stands out. Mrs. Eddy says in Science and Health (p. 563), "Why should we stand aghast at nothingness?" Death is an illusion: in my experience we proved it to be nothing.

I am grateful for the watchful, faithful care of the friend in the house, for the loving stanchness of the practitioner who helped me to cling to the truth as taught by our beloved Leader, Mrs. Eddy, and for Science and Health, wherein are the rules to which we must adhere in working out our problems; grateful to Christ Jesus, the Way-shower, and to God, the Giver of all good. I am also grateful for the periodicals, including The Christian Science Monitor, and I am seeing more clearly the important place they hold in the movement.—(Mrs.) Rachel E. Carnahan, Hollywood, California.

It is with a heart full of thankfulness to God that I confirm the testimony written by Mrs. Rachel E. Carnahan.

I am the friend who was present in the home, mentioned by Mrs. Carnahan, and can witness that error is without power, if we are abiding "in the secret place of the most High." We read in the prophecy of Hosea, "I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death." I am truly grateful to God, as well as to our beloved Leader, Mrs. Eddy, through whose loving and patient toil the true understanding of God and man is continually becoming clearer to our consciousness. I deem it a great privilege to have witnessed the wonderful transformation wrought by the word of Truth, going forth with power, by which the dread of death with all its seeming terrors was changed into that peace which passes all human understanding.

I must gladly say that the comfort I received through the understanding of Christian Science, in this experience, cannot be expressed in words.

(Mrs.) Ethel Sefton, Glendale, California.

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