Early in the summer of 2006, my wife and I were preparing to attend our Christian Science association meeting in Chicago. We planned to travel by car with two friends who'd invited us to join them.

After a smooth trip, and dinner with our friends, my wife and I decided to turn in early. We were very much looking forward to the meeting the following day.

At around 4 a.m., however, I woke up in much discomfort with what felt like a severe tightening of the muscles on the left side of my face and body. Not wanting to disturb my wife, I immediately began to pray. The first thought that came to me was a passage from Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures I knew by heart: "We cannot deny that Life is self-sustained, and we should never deny the everlasting harmony of Soul, simply because, to the mortal senses, there is seeming discord. It is our ignorance of God, the divine Principle, which produces apparent discord, and the right understanding of Him restores harmony" (Mary Baker Eddy, p. 390).

This emphatic statement reassured me of the fact that any trouble we encounter is really an illusion, since in God's complete and loving government of all, there simply can't be disharmony. I saw how important it was for me not to consider this troubling situation a reality, but rather to stay focused on spiritual ideas and what I knew to be true about God—including His tender care of all that He has made.

As I lay in bed, another idea from Science and Health came to me, which brings out that leaning on the laws of God for healing "stir[s] the human mind to a change of base, on which it may yield to the harmony of the divine Mind"(p. 162). What a grand statement about the perpetual nature of harmony! With that thought, I fell asleep.

When I got up in the morning, I found that the discomfort had abated to a large extent, although the left side of my face was misshapen and I couldn't speak plainly. I was unable to eat anything, and my walking was erratic. Despite my appearance, I deeply desired to attend the association meeting and hear what I knew would be an inspiring, uplifting message. All my years of being a student of Christian Science and experiencing its healing power had proved to me that discord of any kind has no real cause. We never have to give in to it. I knew that God was with me and would take care of me all the way. Armed with these thoughts, I felt it was right to attend the meeting. My wife fully supported my decision, and said that she would be praying for me as well.

I couldn't have been more grateful to be present at the meeting. Many ideas in the talk that were specially what I needed to hear, all pointing to the fact of what life truly is—the reflection of infinite divine Life, in which is no place for pain or limitation. Our friends greeted me lovingly, and no one said a word about the way I looked. Their smiles and kindness beyoned me. I was grateful for this tangible evidence of God's presence.

After the trip home, my wife and I had a quiet, prayerful evening. The next morning, I called a longtime friend, who is a Christian Science practitioner, and asked for her additional prayers. She agreed to help me, and assured me that as a child of God, and His perfect reflection, I didn't have to accept anything but good.

That morning, in addition to reading the Christian Science Bible Lesson, I studied many passages in Science and Health that provided a clear view of my spiritual being—ideas that pertained to all of God's creation here and now. As I thought about this wealth of truths, it became so clear to me that God's thoughts are always lovingly and tenderly revealed to us. These thoughts form the true model for thinking about ourselves. They counteract the various conditions that seem to plague us and instead bring forward our unshakeable well-being as God's likeness.

Healing results quickly followed. After only sipping through a straw for several days, I could open my mouth and begin to eat normally. The more I realized that pain, disfigurement, and an interruption of normal functions were unfounded, because they were unknown to God, the more of an illusion they became to me.

By the end of the week, after further study and many conversations with the practitioner, the disfigurement in my face and the difficulty with walking had completely disappeared, along with all vestiges of pain. I resumed my normal activities and have remained free ever since.

I am truly grateful for Christian Science. It heals, and meets our every need.

RALPH STURMER
LAKE ANN, MICHIGAN, US