Article June 4, 2007 Issue

Next in our biweekly series on how people have nurtured their public practice of Christian Science.

ANYONE CAN BE A HEALER

LED BY A FAITH IN GOOD

KLAUS-HENDRIK HERR—Berlin, Germany

LOOKING AT THE PATH that led me into the public practice of Christian Science, I realize it began when I learned God is good. And that was in my early childhood. I'm not just talking about "being raised in Christian Science"—something I often hear people refer to. This is about recognizing that each one of us is safely established in God, in Love and Truth, and about a childlike receptivity to Him.

My first application of this childlike trust in God happened when I was still too young to read. Once when my aunt was away, her dog stayed with us. He did not eat, and got sick. As my parents later told me, they found me determined to confront this troublesome situation with the simple conviction that this was not right, because God was good. Apparently, I took a hymnal from my dad's desk and, holding it upside down and pretending to read it, voiced to the animal simple truths that I'd learned about God's love. The dog was quickly back to normal and happy for the rest of his stay with us.

That little example of childlike innocence and faith in God was helpful to me as I grew up and studied the Science of Christianity seriously. It became most important for me in my daily life to pray for that same condition of thought. Christ Jesus' instruction to us is "Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give" (Matt. 10:8). I understood that I could receive and give healing freely, because it is God's gift.

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