Several years ago a friend grabbed my hand and said, "Will you...

Several years ago a friend grabbed my hand and said, "Will you promise me that you'll do something about this tonight?" I frowned as I stared at the very large growth on my wrist. It had started several months before. At that time it had been small, and since it wasn't in my way and it didn't cause me any discomfort, I had ignored it. Now it was causing me pain, and it was definitely in the way because it was on the hand I wrote with.

After arriving home that evening, I sat down at the kitchen table with my Bible and Science and Health. The thought that the growth could be malignant had occurred to me. I did not seek medical help because I had found something better—Christian Science. How did I know Christian Science could cure a large, painful growth on my wrist? Let me explain.

One of the first things I had learned in my study of Christian Science was that man is made in the likeness of God. This concept is found in Genesis, but it wasn't until I began to study Science and Health that I learned what it really meant. Science and Health gives the spiritual interpretation of the Bible, and it was this interpretation that allowed me to see myself as inherently perfect, without any material or fleshly limitations. Praying from this standpoint, and acknowledging the omnipresence and omnipotence of God, gave me the understanding I needed in order to deny that I was subject to imperfection—in the form of pain, swelling, or even death.

You may say, "There's nothing 'mental' about a growth on the wrist—that's a physical abnormality." This brings me to another concept that I had soon learned as a result of my study of Christian Science: whenever an adverse physical condition is apparent, it is a direct result of an individual's state of thought. In this instance, I felt that the growth on my wrist was indicative of the envious way I had been thinking for the past several months. The friend I mentioned was and is very precious to me. But I had begun to be very possessive of him. When I started praying about my wrist, it became obvious to me that I had to do something about this unhealthy possessiveness.

This is where Christian Science becomes even more indispensable; it teaches one how to stop thinking wrongly, by knowing what is spiritually true of God and man. I had learned that God is good, and that He loves all of His creation, including man, entirely and eternally. Since man is made in God's image, he reflects God's nature—His constant love for all. When I pondered this fact, it suddenly became clear to me that I actually could not feel envy, jealousy, suspicion, and distrust concerning my friend. I recognized that he had already exhibited many fine qualities, such as fidelity, honesty, and integrity.

At that point, my fear that he might be attracted to others simply evaporated; possessiveness was replaced with rock-solid, unshakable trust. No longer did I secretly "spy" on my friend to see if he was flirting with anyone. When other women spoke to him, I acknowledged their spiritual perfection, as well as my own, and saw that we were all privileged to live together in harmony.

Several weeks later, as we walked hand in hand (our relationship had strengthened), my friend looked at my wrist and smiled. The growth was gone, and so was the jealousy. This was a complete healing, one that could only have happened through Christian Science—the law of God. How grateful I am.

Phyllis Duffin Pennamon
Weymouth, Massachusetts