Recurring pain ceases
I had just arrived at work one morning when I started to feel a pain in my left side. I began to pray right away, but the pain only grew worse. There was a Christian Science practitioner in my office building. I didn’t know her but felt I should ask for prayerful help. Without calling ahead, I rushed to her office. She was with another patient and kindly asked if I would return a little later. I agreed to do so, even though I wasn’t sure I’d ever see her again. The pain was so intense that it seemed I might pass on at any moment.
I found a place to lie down in the women’s lounge, but it was impossible to find comfort. Suddenly I began to feel a sense of warmth. The next thing I knew, the pain had drained away. I was amazed. One moment it had seemed I would not survive, and the next moment everything had returned to normal. I later learned that the practitioner, seeing my desperate appearance, had begun giving me Christian Science treatment immediately. Christian Science does heal! After I thanked the practitioner for coming to my aid, I returned to my work. I hadn’t been away from my desk for more than 15 minutes!
Several weeks later, I was at home when the pain reappeared. I called my Christian Science teacher for help, not once, but several times over the next few hours. It seemed like quite a battle as we worked to overcome the pain with Truth. As before, the painful sense seemed so overpowering. But soon after midnight, the victory was won.
Months later, my husband and I were visiting friends in another state when this condition reasserted itself. We quickly said our good-byes and started to drive back home. Realizing that I was in agony, my husband began quietly and humbly declaring simple truths. The thought came to me, What good is that going to do? The pain seemed so powerful. But then an angel thought told me to be still and listen. I obeyed, and caught a few of the ideas my husband was sharing. Within a few moments I was free again.
With hindsight, I can see how progress was being made each time this condition needed to be met. The first practitioner helped me find instant freedom without even speaking to me or knowing anything about the situation. My teacher helped me “face the foe” and apply what I knew of Christian Science. My husband’s compassionate help destroyed my prideful belief that something big had to happen to get me out of the pain. “Step by step,” Mary Baker Eddy tells us, “will those who trust Him find that ‘God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble’ ” (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 444 ).
The final step in this healing occurred a few months later, after we had moved across country. One morning while gardening, I felt just a momentary twinge of that old pain. I straightened up immediately and declared, “No!” That was all, just no. Then I went right back to my work without giving it any further thought. That was over 35 years ago, and I have never had any more trouble of that kind.
What a blessing Christian Science is to humanity! Whether the immediate challenge is small or great, God’s help is always at hand.
Patty Wilson
Clearwater, Florida, US, and Seoul, South Korea
