Testimony of Healing August 12, 1985 Issue

Raised in a Christian Science home, I often...

Virginia S. Mchenry

Raised in a Christian Science home, I often speculated that those finding Christian Science on their own must have an edge in conviction and commitment over those of us brought up in Science. I learned early, however, that opportunities for commitment come to each of us—"spiritual rebirth" experiences, if you will—that impel us to grow.

One particular testing time for me came during World War II, when my flier husband was missing in action and finally declared dead. I was left with our infant daughter to bring up. In my anguish I turned wholeheartedly to Christian Science. I pored over the Bible and the writings of Mary Baker Eddy. I tried to do what St. Paul said when he wrote about "bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ" (II Cor. 10:5). I wakened in the morning to thoughts of God, and closed my eyes at night in the same way.

Many people persist with a measure of grace and fortitude when they lose loved ones, the passage of time eventually bringing some relief. But through the understanding of God I was gaining in Christian Science, I was vouchsafed more than that. I was completely healed of grief. The weight of sorrow fell away dramatically during one of my daily walks in a nearby wood. I was resting on a log, reading the article "Is There no Death?" from Unity of Good by Mrs. Eddy, when this passage on page 41 came to my attention: "In order to reach the true knowledge and consciousness of Life, we must learn it of good." The absolute allness and oneness of good, which is the nature, essence, and character of Deity, encompassed me. At that moment I caught a glimpse of the total unreality of evil, which precluded any suffering from grief or loss. I was free!