Testimony of Healing December 7, 1946 Issue

In 1931, during the depression...

Edith Christine Henderson

In 1931, during the depression, I felt a need to know more about God. I visited orthodox churches and prayed, but did not get peace of mind. I did not tell anyone about my need, and so was surprised when the wife of a business associate offered me "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" by Mary Baker Eddy, to read. The day after she offered me the textbook I lost my position and left the community. Although I did not read the book then, seeing it reminded me of the few months I had lived with my grandmother and had attended a Christian Science Sunday School. It had been a happy childhood experience.

A few days later I found a position in the classified advertising department of a Los Angeles newspaper. Competition was keen. Because I was new I was alone at noon, and during my lunch hour I discovered a Christian Science Reading Room. There I chose Joseph Armstrong's account of the building of The Mother Church to read. I was fascinated by the story, and the method of meeting the problems which arose appealed to me as a businesswoman. Then under the wisdom and guidance of the librarian I was led into the study of the Lesson-Sermons and the periodicals.

My first physical healings were of headaches and constipation. Ten years later, however, my thinking became confused and inharmonious. I failed to heed the lessons I had learned, and allowed myself to be mesmerized by the temptations of the day. When I tried to overcome this situation, I became so involved in discouragement and self-condemnation that I was unable to work. This condition continued until I felt that I could go on no longer, that there was nothing worth while in life for me. I could not read the Lesson-Sermon or the periodicals, and there was always a human reason why I did not attend church.

Send a comment to the editors

NEXT IN THIS ISSUE

Testimony of Healing

I am grateful to God that I have...