Prayer heals pet's broken hip
Not too long ago, I had an opportunity to put spiritual ideas into practice when Gidget, my Chihuahua puppy, began to walk on only three legs. Her back leg was often hiked up. I didn’t see this as an occasion for fear since I knew the spiritual solution was at hand. Through Christian Science treatment, I gained confidence that perfection was the only reality.
About this time, I took the dog to be spayed. The vet noticed the issue with her leg and recommended an X-ray be taken. I told him I’d consider it and left. Shortly thereafter, I saw that Gidget’s unused leg was looking limp, while the other leg was strong and becoming stronger. After a friend made a comment about it, it felt right to have the X-ray taken. The vet informed me that Gidget had a broken hip, as well as cancer or arthritis (further tests would be needed to determine which) around the bone. He told me she would spend the rest of her life unable to walk. Surgery was recommended, although the outcome was unknown. The vet was kind and caring, and I thanked him and said I’d think about how to proceed.
I left the office fully convinced that healing was not only possible, but also inevitable. I saw healing as a divine right. Once at home, I knew that Christian Science healing was my clear choice, as it had been successfully proved through many previous experiences.
I was encouraged by this statement from Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy: “Christian Science is always the most skilful surgeon …” (p. 402 ). I felt a quiet confidence that God would reveal what I needed to know. I knew I was not trying to fix, change, or improve matter—instead, I was realizing my dominion over it. The task was to see beyond a material condition altogether. I absolutely refused to see my dog as a material creature that could be slowed down or impaired. I allowed into my thought only the perfect, normal view of God’s creature.
At night when my dog sat with me, I told her she was whole and good now, and that she had no recollection of a difficulty, because in reality it had never occurred. She knew only this perfect moment, and so did I. This day held only order and peace for both of us. No change was possible or even needed because perfection cannot be improved. It’s the present fact. I also affirmed that no habits ruled her—no habit of limping or favoring one leg. I even stopped wondering myself what might have happened to her.
During the next couple of weeks, the Christian Science Bible Lesson taught me that there is only one good Cause, God. I need not look beyond this fact because this truly is the only fact. My certainty of the presence of good alone was coming into focus, and the physical issue was fading from my thought. My dog was peaceful, too. I was convinced that we could never be touched or entangled by matter, nor become its victim. The Bible Lessons during this time were providing all the answers we needed.
One day soon after, I saw Gidget running all around the yard as fast as she could, perfectly restored. We were both so happy, but I really wasn’t surprised, because only perfection was present in my thought. Gidget continues to run and walk and play normally. Her leg is perfect. Sometimes I feel she is running to show her gratitude for her healing. This experience has proved to me once again, God’s love for all of us, big and small.
The study of Christian Science is far more than memorizing quotes from the Bible and Science and Health. It is gaining confidence that everything necessary to know is already known by God, and therefore by God’s reflection, man. We only need to let this understanding settle in our thinking. We know enough for this moment. We always will.
Virginia Hawks
Sierra Madre, California, US
