Testimony of Healing July 22, 2013 ISSUE

Arm and shoulder mobility restored

Shelly Richardson

I’m humbly grateful for a healing I had several years ago. My daughter and I were living in Philadelphia for the summer when, following a backpacking trip, I lost mobility in my shoulders. Over a period of about a week, the muscles in my back and arms stopped working properly. I couldn’t lift my arms and was in constant pain. During this time, my sweet daughter helped me dress each day because I was unable to lift clothing over my head.

I called a Christian Science practitioner for help. He encouraged me to remember that God loved me right at that moment. I prayed to see that, in the words of the well-loved poem by Mary Baker Eddy, “His arm encircles me, and mine, and all” (Poems, p. 4 ).

Honestly, I didn’t feel very loved at the time—for a variety of reasons. But, wanting to be obedient, I prayed for a deeper understanding of how to love and feel God’s love, even if the human circumstances pointed to the contrary.

The area of Philadelphia where we were living had the reputation of being dangerous. So I took time each day to look for evidence of God’s love in action in the city. Every day as my daughter and I traveled on the bus, I prayed to see how God was loving the community. I noticed people reading their Bibles on the bus, kind exchanges in the street, help from strangers. 

This activity was more than just being optimistic about my surroundings. I reasoned that God, divine Love, was in action. The Psalmist urged, “O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together” (Psalms 34:3 ). And the book of Malachi promises, “And your eyes shall see, and ye shall say, The Lord will be magnified” (1:5 ).

I also felt that my prayer was in line with Mary Baker Eddy’s statement in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures that “for victory over a single sin, we give thanks and magnify the Lord of Hosts” (p. 568 ).

I reasoned that it was my job to bear witness to Love in action everywhere I went—and I knew that as I opened my heart to witness God’s activity, I would see more. This for me is scientific prayer. I wasn’t making the neighborhood more loving; I was witnessing how God was already embracing that neighborhood with love and witnessing how His creation responds. 

Within a few weeks, I can honestly say that I saw only God at work in that city, and I grew to love the area and eventually moved here. As I gained this new view of God’s love, the painful condition healed completely. Since then I’ve gone rock climbing, swimming, and hiking, all without any pain or any limits.

Shelly Richardson 
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US

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July 22, 2013
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