Fifty years ago, when I had to appear before the review board, I...

JULIEN CAIRASCHI

Fifty years ago, when I had to appear before the review board, I was exempted from military service because of my heart. This came as a shock to me, since I had always been an active participant in sports. I then consulted a doctor, who diagnosed severe heart trouble. I was told that there should be no exertion, no bicycling, no violent movement, and that by following these rules I could perhaps live until the age of forty. This medical diagnosis weighed on me for more than twenty years—a long trial. I went from one doctor to another, until I finally found myself at death's door.

It was then that I read in the copy of the Bible my mother had left me (Gen. 1:27), "God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him." When I read this Bible passage, something clicked, and I decided to abandon doctors and medicine. My health began to improve, yet it was a hard fight. I searched for perfection in Christian and Oriental religions, but to no avail.

In March 1958, when I learned of Christian Science at a Christian Science lecture, I knew that I had at last reached home port. I had found what I was looking for. What followed was the gradual but full restoration of my health through prayer in Christian Science. I often pondered "the scientific statement of being" in Science and Health by Mrs. Eddy, which begins (p. 468): "There is no life, truth, intelligence, nor substance in matter. All is infinite Mind and its infinite manifestation, for God is All-in-all."

Send a comment to the editors

We'd love to hear from you!

Easily submit your testimonies, articles, and poems online.

Submit

Fifty years ago, when I had to appear before the review board, I...

We'd love to hear from you!

Sign up for unlimited access