I attended a Christian Science Sunday School until the age of eighteen. But when I left home for college, I stopped going to church and didn't go back for fourteen years.

During college I developed a skin condition. The condition wasn't serious, but it itched and looked unattractive. Since I was not practicing Christian Science at that time, I went to a doctor, who examined me. Medicine was prescribed, which I used, but the difficulty was not cured. Several more times while I was in college I went to doctors who examined me and prescribed medicine, but with the same results.

After graduating from college, I entered the military. An Army doctor prescribed medicine for the skin condition, but still it did not clear up.

I might add also that while I was in college, I began drinking socially. I thought drinking would help me be "part of the crowd" and bring more enjoyment into my life. It didn't. When I was in the military, not only did the drinking continue but it became the focus of my off-duty activities. Drinking seemed to me to be the accepted norm for everyone, including me.

After my tour of duty in the Army, while I was pursuing a new career, I reached a very low point—rock bottom to be exact. I was constantly depressed, and there seemed to be little meaning in my life. I knew something had to change. Not sure what to do about it, I started going to a branch Church of Christ, Scientist, again. I began attending Sunday services regularly, and at the same time I felt a desire to begin reading Science and Health by Mrs. Eddy.

One day while I was reading this book, I felt an absolute conviction that God would heal me. I decided to rely entirely on Christian Science. During the following week or so, I realized I had lost all interest in drinking alcoholic beverages. I really had a feeling of freedom.

Although it was some time before the skin condition was healed, during that period I remained certain that God would heal me. And I had healings of other difficulties to support this conviction. I was healed of injured ankles and a smashed thumb, among other things. When each of these incidents occurred, the pain and the immediacy of the situation impelled me to apply spiritual truths quickly for relief and healing. On the other hand, the skin difficulty wasn't that concerning to me, so I would pray about it from time to time, then forget about it.

I continued reading and studying Science and Health to gain a better understanding of spiritual truth. One passage states: "Mortals obtain the harmony of health, only as they forsake discord, acknowledge the supremacy of divine Mind, and abandon their material beliefs. ... By lifting thought above error, or disease, and contending persistently for truth, you destroy error."

After reading this passage I reasoned that I had not been making an effort to "abandon [my] material beliefs," nor had I been "contending persistently for truth" in the case of the skin condition. The difficulty had been around so long that I had been accepting it as being inevitable. And since it seemed inevitable, I really wasn't persistent in my Christian Science treatment.

Once I saw through this misperception and prayed persistently, the skin trouble was healed in very short order. After many years, it was finally and completely gone! The healing took place over six years ago, and I can't tell you how happy it made me! I was glad not merely because the skin condition was gone but because the Science of Christ is absolute and provable.

I am so grateful to God for Christian Science. I'm grateful for Christ Jesus, our Way-shower. And I'm grateful that Mrs. Eddy followed in his footsteps and was persistent in sharing Christian Science with the world.

David B. Snyder
Portland, Oregon