Testimony of Healing October 5, 1981 Issue

I became acquainted with Christian Science in...

FRANK J. MASSEY

I became acquainted with Christian Science in 1950. At that time a friend presented me with a Pocket Edition of Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy, promising me that if I devoured its healing message, the book could change my life. He was right. Eventually it did, but not until a false, self-willed attitude had been thoroughly uprooted.

At first I read the book eagerly. But unwittingly I drank in only the letter of this work, neglecting the spirit of divine Principle, Love, which permeates the teachings of our remarkable textbook. With the aid of Christian Science practitioners at various times, I received many proofs that Christian Science does heal. However, my own prayers for healing seemed to be fruitless, for I had not yet practiced, nor had I actually learned, "the vital part" of Science. Mrs. Eddy tells us (Science and Health, p. 113), "The vital part, the heart and soul of Christian Science, is Love."

Gradually, because I wasn't firmly rooted in the spirit of the Word, I began to lose interest in Science. Daily study of the Bible Lesson in the Christian Science Quarterly became a ritualistic chore rather than a means of gaining inspiration and spiritual enlightenment, and frequently I postponed doing it. Often when I did study there was a suggestion that I'd heard all this before. Soon, prompted by a series of events, I withdrew from adherence to Christian Science altogether. After that I drifted from one church to another, vainly trying to capture an element of truth; but none of them satisfied me.

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