Testimony of Healing November 7, 2011 Issue

Clearer vision and safe from injury

Florence Wells

While I was serving as First Reader in a Christian Science Society, part of my job was to read aloud to the congregation from the Bible and Science and Health, by Mary Baker Eddy, during the Sunday service. I would always bring my glasses with me in case I needed them, because sometimes my vision was blurred. I really wanted to rely only on God, so I was constantly praying to have a clearer spiritual vision and to rely less on the glasses, which I saw as a “crutch.” In my prayers I reasoned that since God is Spirit and I was His spiritual idea, I reflected Life, Truth, and Love. I knew the perfection and completeness of Life, Truth, and Love did not include impaired vision. 

I also based my prayers on Christ Jesus’ words, “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect” (Matt. 5:48). This told me that because God is perfect, I must be perfect. I endeavored to be persistent in knowing this and expressing God’s goodness and dominion. I would not give in to what I saw was an error of belief about the identity God gave me.

Mrs. Eddy metaphysically defines eyes in Science and Health as “Spiritual discernment,—not material but mental” (p. 586). I found this very helpful and worked to practice more spiritual discernment in my everyday activities. Instead of seeing life as material, I thought more in terms of discerning spiritual qualities. It meant gaining a greater understanding of God’s love—to see what He sees, to feel His love, and know that we do not see with our material eyesight, but with our spiritual sense. 