I am very grateful for many proofs of divine protection that have come through a clearer understanding of our Father-Mother God as the only power or presence.

One hot summer night, just before retiring, I went for a short wander in the garden, touching some of the greenery. Afterward I happened to rub my eyes, which soon began to water and burn. Before long there were more serious developments, and the pain was extreme. It was worse when I was lying down, and I could not bear to keep my eyes open. Unable to read the Bible or Science and Health, or even to think clearly, I felt a bit nervous. Suddenly, in sharp contrast to all these mortal arguments, I felt comforted and reassured— confident I was not alone because my Father-Mother God was right there with me, loving, caring, and directing me as He had always done. And so I could say as Samuel did (I Sam. 7:12), "Hitherto hath the Lord helped us."

Well-loved Bible verses and healing promises from Mrs. Eddy's writings came readily to mind. However, in an hour's time, when I tried to telephone a Christian Science practitioner, I found that I could not see well enough to find or dial the number. Then I became more determined not to be fooled by error, and I prayed specifically and more vehemently. That week's Bible Lesson in the Christian Science Quarterly on the subject "Reality" had been especially inspiring to me. Several of the statements I'd memorized from Science and Health by Mrs. Eddy sprang to mind and helped me see that this condition was an illusion trying to appear as reality. One paragraph in particular commences (p. 261): "Detach sense from the body, or matter, which is only a form of human belief, and you may learn the meaning of God, or good, and the nature of the immutable and immortal." The marginal note beside this paragraph is "Immutable identity of man"! The aggravating symptoms remained, but somehow I now seemed uninterested in and untouched by them, and I continued to work and pray calmly.

The next thing I knew, it was morning. I woke without one sign of the trouble. There was no discomfort, nor were there any aftereffects. It was just as though the difficulty had not happened. And, of course, the real me had never been touched by such a lie.

Another time I was in a crowded city store, carrying two filled shopping bags. I went to the snack bar for lunch and placed a shopping bag at either side of my feet; women sat on each side of me. Later, when I rose to leave, I noticed that one of the women and my larger shopping bag, which contained several expensive purchases, were both gone. Although the kindly staff at the counter were upset, they said that this occurred all too frequently nowadays, and that there was nothing anyone could do because the culprit naturally went straight out of the building to avoid being spotted.

Nothing like this had happened to me before, and I admit that my first feelings were shock, anger, condemnation—and self-pity. But we are taught in Christian Science to nail the lie of discord, and quickly, so I straightway did my best, prayerfully turning to God and claiming His ever-present guidance.

As I started to leave the shop, two clear commands came to me. The first was from James (4:8): "Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you." And the other was the eighth commandment (Ex. 20:15): "Thou shalt not steal." I pondered these and thought, Now, if I am really to draw nigh to God, to good, to Truth, I must stop seeing someone as a thief and the "villain in the piece." We are all God's children, at all times reflecting His attributes. And these do not include dishonesty and theft, or self-pity, criticism, anger, or discouragement. I realized that in a way I had stolen, by accepting that another could be a thief rather than the pure, faultless image of God.

While reasoning along these lines, I felt a weight lift from me and soon found myself hurrying upstairs to the Lost Property Office. Although the girl there was sympathetic, she repeated the "stolen shopping bags are never handed back" refrain and did not even want to take my address. At this point another staff member emerged from a nearby lift—with my shopping bag! Not one item was missing. This woman, who said she was the attendant at the ladies' restroom, told me, "You must have left the bag there—it was put on our counter by a woman who left quickly before we could speak to her." Both staff members were amazed when I assured them I'd been nowhere near the restroom. And when I explained the incident, one said, "I now feel sure the woman changed her mind after taking the bag, bringing it to us at her risk because she wanted the owner to get it back. Nothing like this has happened here before." I was already humbly praying my thanks—not merely for the return of property but more for the fact that I had been guided to accept and use spiritual truths that refuted material evidence and brought healing to this experience.

SALLY CARLTON
Bentley, Western Australia, Australia