Testimony of Healing December 12, 2011 Issue

Allergy symptoms and poison ivy healed

Heather Farrell Bauer

Allergy season: It was on the news; it was the discussion in the grocery line, the playground, the gym. I had never been bothered by it before, but one morning I woke up sneezing and sniffling. It went on all day and just seemed to get worse, and by the evening I was very uncomfortable. I remembered a friend’s concern earlier that day that I might have allergies.

That night, I prayed to see more of God’s constant care and goodness. The lovely hymn that begins, “In atmosphere of Love divine, / We live, and move, and breathe” (Christian Science Hymnal, No. 144) came to mind, and I felt a little bit better. I was still having a challenge in the morning, however. Clearly the thought came: “You must pray about this and be specific.” So I did. I sat up in bed and started by recognizing that God, Father-Mother Love, is right there for each and every one of us, showering us with goodness and love. Every season holds its own wonderful purpose and place, and with no interruption. My simple prayer was, “How can a beautiful rose be anything but good!”

This thought was similar to something Mary Baker Eddy wrote in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures: “What an abuse of natural beauty to say that a rose, the smile of God, can produce suffering! The joy of its presence, its beauty and fragrance, should uplift the thought, and dissuade any sense of fear or fever” (p. 175). I remembered that God made all, and it was and is good. So trees might represent strength, flowers might represent beauty—and I am untouched by matter, unharmed by these expressions of God’s qualities. This was very much a turning “things into thoughts” moment (see Science and Health, p. 123). I was healed that very instant. I could breathe with complete freedom, and that was the end of the trouble.