Faith renewed, health regained

Original in French

Brigitte Rochaix

When I was a little girl, I was told that God was infinite Love and the only creator, and that He had not created disease. But I didn't completely understand these ideas.

Then, with sheer will power I began to ignore symptoms of an infection that set in early in 1998. But the time came when I could no longer keep up that battle. Eventually I went to a doctor, who prescribed antibiotics. Soon after this medication took effect, I had a new infection. I was given other antibiotics, and the same thing happened again and again, for several months. With each recurrence, larger doses of more powerful drugs were prescribed. This went on for 15 months, and I fought back with all my strength. By June of 1999, I had to check into a hospital, paralyzed and no longer able to do anything.

The hospital personnel considered me quite a curiosity. I underwent all sorts of examinations. But no one could diagnose my illness. After a little while in the hospital, a feeling that was hard to describe began to come over me. Because of the illness, I was removed from my usual lifestyle—one in which an exaggerated and constant preoccupation with the burden of my responsibilities, a tough and demanding job, and a poor view of my individuality had gradually developed.

To protect my peace and tranquillity, my husband had not told anyone that I was in the hospital. In fact, I had only one visitor: my dad. He gave me the weekly Bible Lesson (made up of passages from the Bible and from Science and Health) and articles from Christian Science magazines. I began to read these very attentively. He came to visit a few times and also spoke with me on the telephone.

As I absorbed the ideas I was reading about, I became more and more receptive to such concepts as "God is Love." I began to see that God did not create disease, sin, death—anything that was bad. And that's how, one day, for a few seconds, I had an extraordinarily different concept of life than I'd ever had before. I read this: "One moment of divine consciousness, or the spiritual understanding of Life and Love, is a foretaste of eternity," (Science and Health, p. 598). This was a revelation! This spiritual message changed all my aspirations from then on. I knew there was an answer for me.

I read hungrily—I had some catching up to do. My strength was returning, as was my faith. And although the illness hung on, the hospital director, who was in charge of my case, offered to let me go home if I so desired. My new and growing understanding that Life is God, and that He is also Love, made me lose all fear of this disease. I was so confident that I would be healed that I accepted the doctor's offer to let me leave the hospital.

Even at home, though, I continued to suffer. I woke up every morning unable to stand for more than five minutes, perspiring and feeling dizzy. Still, I remained confident and kept up my daily study of the Bible and Science and Health. One week when the Bible Lesson was on "Truth," I simply woke up one morning free from the disease. I felt like a new person, and I was very happy. I was cured when I understood that it was the power of Truth—another name for God—that healed.

My desire to understand God and to trust Him is being fulfilled.

Brigitte Rochaix
Geneva, Switzerland

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