Testimony of Healing January 27, 1973 Issue

Early in 1942, my position in astronomical research with a large...

Ellen Jane Barndollar

Early in 1942, my position in astronomical research with a large university was terminated when research funds were reallocated to wartime projects. Turning as always to Christian Science for comfort and guidance, I found a sentence in Science and Health by Mrs. Eddy which met my need (p. 242): "The divine Science of man is woven into one web of consistency without seam or rent." I realized that in true spiritual existence God creates and maintains man in completeness of harmonious activity without interruption or termination. Absolute trust and confidence that this truth would act as law in my experience resulted in immediate employment in an aerospace firm.

I entered the technical field of flutter and vibration analysis where I did not even know the vocabulary, much less have an engineering background. During the war years I often wished I were somewhere else, and at times was very unhappy and discouraged. But one thing I knew for certain: this was my right place, and God's power would point out the right time and the right way to make a change. After World War II was over, our aerospace firm went through severe financial adjustments in converting from military aircraft to peacetime commercial business. The group I was in was reduced from fifteen to two, and I was one of the two—a fact that confirmed my conviction that I was in my right place.

In a few years, as our group began to grow again, I was being passed by for the more interesting job assignments, salary increases, and opportunities in test work, presumably because I was a woman in what is usually considered a man's field. Once again at a critical time Christian Science provided the answer. The book of Revelation in the Bible tells in Chapter 12 of the woman God–crowned who was cared for under most difficult circumstances. Mrs. Eddy writes of the woman in the Apocalypse, "She illustrates the coincidence of God and man as the divine Principle and divine idea" (Science and Health, p. 561). A prayerful study of the Bible and Science and Healthgave me a realization of the spiritual power and authority of the true womanhood created by God. This brought enlightenment and comfort to my thinking about my job, and eventually a change in the work scene. I was given increased opportunities, responsibilities, and pay, and even put in charge of two different test programs.