Although it was winter, I would wake up in the middle of the...

Joan M. Benjamin

Although it was winter, I would wake up in the middle of the night absolutely baking. Sometimes in the office, I'd feel a sudden heat wave and have to take off my blazer. Over a period of a week to ten days I experienced very unusual physical changes, including heat flashes, and started to pray about this.

It occurred to me that this might be part of what's called "change of life." Momentarily, I thought of consulting friends who had passed through menopause, but I realized that nothing they could tell me would heal it. I quickly dropped that temptation, knowing that God, who is Mind, would give me all the information I needed.

My first step of prayer was to ponder God's nature—His allness, goodness, and perfection, and then to claim my spiritual nature as a child of God. Next I denied that I could be subject to material beliefs. A belief is only a suggestion, without power. It can't attach itself to me.

Then I began to think about the expression "change of life." As I considered the word change, part of a favorite hymn from the Christian Science Hymnal (No. 148) came to thought:

In heavenly Love abiding,
No change my heart shall fear;
And safe is such confiding,
For nothing changes here.

I realized I didn't need to fear a recurrence of the heat flashes, because I abide in Love. In the presence of Love, God, there is no room for fear. Love is eternal, everlasting, forever. Love cannot increase in intensity or decrease. Love is already all.

The words from another beloved hymn (No. 270) came to thought: "Our God is Love, unchanging Love,/And can we ask for more?" It interested me that change—or, rather, change-lessness—was coupled in both hymns, with "Love." I'd recently been tempted to accept the belief that love could be fickle or changeable. Instead, I could accept the healing truth that divine Love is unchanging. Since man reflects God, he reflects Love, which is steady, solid, dependable, and reliable. Love, God, is already complete, full, undiminished; therefore man, the beloved child of God, doesn't need to ask for more.

I continued to pray. And within just a couple of days, the heat flashes were completely gone.

As I thought further about the expression "change of life," it came to me to pray to understand more of life. Life is another name for God. Therefore, Life is whole, complete, and perfect, like God. There is no power to any belief in a midlife crisis. Life is eternal, without beginning or end, and therefore without a "midlife." Life has no cycles, no stages. I affirmed that God is my life.

Immediately I saw results. It was wonderful. The heat flashes diminished. I continued to pray. And within just a couple of days, they ceased—they were completely gone!

I'm very grateful for this healing, which happened about five years ago now, and for the reminder to be alert to pray right away. Truth is effective, and I feel blessed to know something of the Science of Christ, Truth, and to see it blessing my family and others.

Joan M. Benjamin
St. Louis, Missouri

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