Testimony of Healing March 25, 1967 Issue

One of the insidious means error has of...

Gloria McElroy Read

One of the insidious means error has of accomplishing its purpose is to work through a mother's fear that by relying upon Christian Science treatment alone she may not be doing enough for her children. In our own family that fear has often had to be stilled.

The first healing we had of a child's disorder was that of colic. Prayerful work was being done for the child, but the individual who was kindly helping me care for the baby suggested many times that heat was needed to soothe the child and that he should be given a hot-water bottle. As the baby continued crying, I finally asked myself what kind of a mother I would be, if by withholding a hotwater bottle, I would deprive my child of comfort. Strongly and clearly the answer came to me that I had much more to offer this child than a hot-water bottle, that I could offer him a demonstrable understanding of Christian Science that would help him not only in this hour of need but all through his life. That afternoon was the last time our child ever suffered from colic.

Later, this simple decision to rely solely on God met another need of the baby. He was continuing to awaken for a feeding at two o'clock in the morning long past the stage when he actually needed food at that hour, thereby depriving the whole household of sleep. A friend brought over a drug commonly given to wakeful babies and referred to among young mothers as "happy drops." I thought to myself as I looked at the smiling child, "If there's one thing in the world this child doesn't need, it's 'happy drops,' " and I threw the bottle in the wastebasket. That night was the first night our baby slept all the way through, and he continued to do so.

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