Testimony of Healing April 4, 1988 Issue

Several years ago my husband and I were living away from...

Joan Edzards

Several years ago my husband and I were living away from home temporarily because of his work. As I was not employed at the time, I decided to devote myself to the study and application of Christian Science. In addition to studying the Bible Lesson outlined in the Christian Science Quarterly, I used the Concordance to Science and Health by Mrs. Eddy to look up passages containing the synonyms for God listed on page 587 of Science and Health. I was trying to enlarge my understanding of God.

While I was involved in this prayerful study, a small growth on the back of one leg became an open wound that spread over the calf of the leg. This caused me great pain, and it became difficult to walk. When this condition was not healed by my own efforts in prayer, I asked a Christian Science practitioner to pray for me—to help me see myself as a perfect child of a perfect God.

I endeavored to be obedient to this instruction from Science and Health (p. 393): "Rise in the strength of Spirit to resist all that is unlike good. God has made man capable of this, and nothing can vitiate the ability and power divinely bestowed on man." I tried to walk around and carry out normal activities each day and went to a Christian Science Reading Room to study whenever I could. I also held to this verse from the Bible (II Tim. 1:7): "God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." However, added to the turbulent influence of fear about the physical condition was the concern that my husband and I were due to return to our home within two weeks and I felt I was unable to travel.