UPFRONT March 12, 2007 Issue

'What is God telling me?'

PATRICIA KADICK, STAFF EDITOR

That's the question I pray I'll always ask myself, when tempted to check bodily conditions or statistics to determine my well-being. Listening for the voice of a loving God is the "diagnosis" Christian Science has taught me to seek in health, as well as in moments of pain, illness, or fear. Praying for His assessment of my condition arms me with the conviction that because I'm His expression, physical and mental health are constant facts of my existence.

Society's perspectives have shifted. It's no longer a question of if you get ill, but of when you get ill. It's not about "Do you have a doctor," but instead "Call your doctor." A recent New York Times article discussed "What's Making Us Sick Is an Epidemic of Diagnoses" (January 2, 2007). And this has been pushing me to reckon with the fact that, for so many people, medical diagnoses are the norm, requested or not.

Recently a woman on the bus anxiously remarked, "Everything is so medical these days." Then her companion voiced frustration over "always being diagnosed." My compassion level soared. The idea of anyone on that bus—man, woman, or child—feeling vulnerable and propelled from one form of illness to another was more than I could bear. It underscored the need I feel to love enough to truly understand that no one is beyond the range of God's voice, unable to hear this assurance: "I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee" (Isa. 41:13). That everyone can feel His immediate message of health and wholeness, as Christian Science has taught me to feel it.

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