"For right reasoning there should be but one fact before the thought, namely, spiritual existence" (Mary Baker Eddy, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 492). To me, this presents a key point in the theology of Christian Science—reasoning by beginning with God and His perfect creation. I've relied on this concept many times when I've been tempted to draw troubling conclusions about myself or others from any evidence I see around me. But I've learned that I don't ever have to "go there."

I've found that reasoning from standpoint of God's supremacy is very different from trying to size up a problem and then trying to work my way back to healing or resolution through prayer. Has this always been easy for me to practice? Perhaps not at first, but I've found it's worth it because it leads to more consistent healing and spiritual growth.

Recently, I had an experience that helped illustrate this idea. I was confronted with symptoms that left me with no energy, no appetite, and the need to make lots of trips to the bathroom. This all came about two days before my wife and I were booked to fly across the country for a ten-day vacation.

As a student of Christian Science, it was natural for me to turn in prayer to God for a spiritual solution. I also enlisted the help of a Christian Science practitioner for prayerful support. But in the back of my mind, the nagging thought was, "I'm sick, and I've got to get well, or it's going to be a long flight." Soon, I realized that accepting the reality of sickness actually worked against my prayerful efforts to better understand my God-given freedom from sickness. And this was not a helpful or accurate foundation for Christian Science treatment.

The next day, the day before our flight, although I'd been comforted by my prayers, I was still feeling ill. My wife asked if we should consider a contingency plan, just in case I wasn't able to make the flight the next day. Talk about a wake-up call!

I'd recently read an article by a Christian Science practitioner that dealt specifically with the suggestion that we need to have a backup plan just in case God's good plan for us doesn't work out. So I was spiritually armed and ready when the mental suggestion to doubt God's perfect care popped up. I recognized this idea for what it was—an effort to legitimize illness, and minimize the power and presence of divine Good. What I needed was the reasoning that begins with God. I prayed to better understand that the perfection of the Divine is seen in both Cause and effect. God is the only Cause, and His glorious creation, including me, is effect. I felt right then that I didn't need to spend time constructing a backup plan, because God's intent for me consistently included only health and vitality—never sickness or fatigue.

Jesus encouraged this kind of thinking when he said, "Take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? ... But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you" (Matt. 6:31, 33). In this case, Jesus' instruction meant to me that I should seek the divine perspective in prayer, regardless of the convincing nature of a problem. And I knew this was the right starting point that would correct fear—in my case, an apparent lack of health.

Mentally, I turned away from the symptoms of sickness to acknowledge my present wholeness as the image and likeness of God. And I believe this made all the difference in the effectiveness of my prayers.

That night, I slept well and woke up feeling good. I had a full breakfast and was able to board my flight. My trips to the bathroom normalized, and I enjoyed a comfortable trip across the country with my wife. As I walked through the canyons and parks of the great American Southwest, I had all the energy I needed.

Since then, this experience has served as a reminder to me of the need to reason rightly more consistently—to always start in my prayers with the divine Cause in order to find out the genuine spiritual nature of reality.

JIM WALTER
KINGSVILLE, MARYLAND, US