There are many blessings that I must give thanks for

Virginia Alston

There are many blessings that I must give thanks for. During the Second World War my husband, who was not a Christian Scientist, was given a medical opinion that because of a liver condition he had only three months to live. I was a Christian Scientist, and he agreed to have Science help. With the consecrated prayer of a Christian Science practitioner and the persistent recognition that God's purpose for man is solely good, my husband was completely healed. He was able to undertake successfully the creative, strenuous work that he most enjoyed.

In my own experience, when funds for my college education were lost in a bank failure, I prayed. Soon I was given a job playing in a radio station orchestra, which paid all my expenses. Later, when there was a widespread belief that there was little available work, I was offered two positions to choose between. Again I had the prayerful assistance of a practitioner, who shared with me Christ Jesus' command (Matt. 6:33) "Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."

One night I woke with severe pain in my side. At once I affirmed that God did not create the discomfort or know of it. I prayed for several hours, denying that the discord could have reality, and giving it no power or place. The understanding of God's all-power and presence rectifies the error of disease. By morning I was entirely free.

At one point in recent years my husband suffered a debilitating illness and was under medical care. During this period I prayed daily for myself with the help of a practitioner. My husband asked me to handle his business affairs, since he could not, and I sought God's direction. I was led to talk to a banker about the right course to take. He suggested certain legal steps and helped me find a lawyer, who took care of the details. Every need was covered and all questions were answered. The practitioner had reminded me that God "knows the angels that you need" (Christian Science Hymnal, No. 9), and I could see that this had certainly been the case.

When my husband passed on after the period of illness it was comforting to realize the spiritual fact that death could not destroy him, for man's true identity is deathless. In The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany Mrs. Eddy writes (p. 296): "Evil has no power to harm, to hinder, or to destroy the real spiritual man."

It is a blessing to be working in a loving, vital branch church with wholehearted Christian Scientists who express the spirit of true brotherhood. I am deeply grateful to God for Christian Science.

Virginia Alston
Potomac, Maryland

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