Article September 12, 2005 Issue

JUST A SUGGESTION ...

By Patti C. Christopher

IN THE PAST, I OFTEN FOUND MYSELF DRIFTING INTO A STATE OF MALAISE, close on the heels of which would follow some sort of illness. Usually this was precipitated by hearing someone's lengthy description of an ailment, either on TV or in real life.

Before I began praying about my health, I used to think that arming myself with the complete description of an illness was the best way to spot it and perhaps nip it in the bud. I can now see this tended to have a hypnotic or mesmerizing effect, leading me to look for disease in every nook and cranny of my being. This, in fact, does little to stave off the disease. Instead, it tends to reinforce it.

The fear of contracting any disease seemed enough to spur it on, until I was diligent about shutting out these fears with the truth that I was the image of God, which I've learned to do in recent years, from reading the Bible and Science and Health. The ideas in these books have taught me how to pray effectively and to truly nip illness in the bud.