Testimony of Healing September 27, 1999 Issue

Choking overcome; freedom of movement restored

Henry G. Rutledge, Jr.

In 1994 I was eating lunch in a restaurant. A piece of food became caught in my windpipe, and I couldn't talk or breathe correctly. My wife, who was with me, prayed silently. She said she had perceived me as God's perfect child, who could experience nothing but good as God's reflection. I tried to calm my panic when I could not dislodge the food. I thought of ideas as flowing freely and smoothly in God's kingdom, not interfering with one another. I became relaxed. Suddenly I felt something happening in my throat and chest. In about thirty seconds I could breathe and talk normally.

The next year I had to remove overgrown shrub and tree branches from all around my house in a short time, because roofers were coming soon to put on a new roof. The next day I could not move freely. Every movement seemed painful. After a day of praying for relief by using ideas from the Bible and Mary Baker Eddy's books, I telephoned a Christian Science practitioner to pray with me.

In about thirty seconds I could breathe and talk normally.