Testimony of Healing November 30, 1987 Issue

Not long ago I had an experience that taught me more about...

Judi Mortner

Not long ago I had an experience that taught me more about how to realize the healing power of God in my life. I learned the importance of perseverance in affirming the truth, of not merely seeking but striving to understand God. This constancy of thought enabled me to see the spiritual reality of His allness where lack seemed to be.

Recently I accepted a job which required that I move to a new city. Because of an unexpected circumstance, I was left with little time in which to find an apartment before beginning my new job. Once I did begin to look for housing, I was barraged by all kinds of reasons why it would be impossible for me to find a suitable apartment. Many of these negative opinions came from realtors familiar with the local housing market. Soon I felt discouraged and overwhelmed by what seemed an impossible task.

Eventually I turned from this limited and narrow way of viewing home to the perception of home as spiritual. I started with the answer to the question "What is man?" given in Science and Health by Mrs. Eddy. One passage says of man (p. 475): "He is the compound idea of God, including all right ideas ..." I reasoned that home is a right idea and so must be included in my experience. Still, I clearly did not have a place to live, and this forced me to consider home more deeply. I saw that the real substance of home is in qualities such as peace, security, and warmth—qualities derived from God, which, in my real being as His reflection, I include. I also thought about this line from Hymn 279 in the Christian Science Hymnal: "Pilgrim on earth, home and heaven are within thee." This served to further the recognition that true home is spiritual and is not defined by a material structure.