Testimony of Healing November 22, 1975 Issue

Toward the end of college, I began losing interest in Christian Science,...

Mary-Jo Wanzer Gross with contributions from Margaret D. Colley

Toward the end of college, I began losing interest in Christian Science, stopped studying the Bible Lesson regularly and stopped going to church on a regular basis. I went away to graduate school, and being away from home for virtually the first time, I began to think that I could live without church. I never really admitted to myself that I doubted the truths of Christian Science, but they seemed less and less relevant in the daily life I chose.

I met a young man whose family did quite a bit of drinking, and since I spent many weekends at their home, I, too, found myself drinking. Gradually my confidence in spiritual healing was eroded and I would succumb to his advice to take aspirin or other minor drug remedies. This phase continued for about two or three years. When the relationship with this man broke up, I found a few months later that many things were confused in my thought and I was beset with a very painful condition in my chest.

Fear and dissatisfaction, and a realization that something was lacking in my life, returned me to Christian Science. I began going to church again and I had the great joy of reading Science and Health by Mrs. Eddy consecutively for the first time. In this book she says (p. 66), "Trials are proofs of God's care." This was proved true in my case. Another statement from Science and Health that held my interest reads (p. 296): "Either here or hereafter, suffering or Science must destroy all illusions regarding life and mind, and regenerate material sense and self." Now this became a challenge I wanted to meet, rather than the threat of retribution it had seemed before.