Four lessons and a healing
About a year ago I got a small business website up and running, and was feeling a great sense of success and gratitude. This website was the culmination of an idea I’d had to help promote Christian Science—albeit in a small way—and I was extremely pleased.
The next morning, I logged on to my computer and went back to the site to tweak a few things. About an hour and a half later, I suddenly realized that I couldn’t raise myself from my chair. Standing, let alone walking across the room, seemed impossible as my back had tightened up and wouldn’t allow me to move.
I immediately realized that this was simply an attack, an erroneous belief trying to tell me that I could be harmed for doing good and living Christian Science. I remembered Mary Baker Eddy’s loving response to such thinking where she states, “Whatever it is your duty to do, you can do without harm to yourself” (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 385 ). I reasoned that God is only good, and He certainly can never experience pain or immobility. I humbly reasoned that I was His beloved child and His perfect representative. The good being done was not mine; it was God’s, and God’s work can never be punished or harmed. With those healing thoughts, I was able to rise and eventually walk across the room.
That afternoon, I called a Christian Science practitioner to support me in my prayer. He affirmed my God-given right to complete healing. Through the next couple of days, I gained more freedom of movement as I held firm to Truth. I was able to do most of my daily duties, although the pain persisted.
My second lesson came on Sunday morning, before my branch church’s service. A visitor, another Christian Scientist, approached me and began talking about the importance of publicly communicating the health benefits of Christian Science. I joyfully described to him how active our church’s board and spiritual action committee are in praying to do just that—reaching out and embracing our community by letting them know that spiritual healing is effective and practical. With that he said something about not needing more healing because we’ve seen plenty. I can’t be sure exactly what he meant, but I felt stunned. With a smile, I excused myself.
Throughout the service, I prayed to know that healing is Love expressed—and nothing can stop healing. It was not until the next day, as the visitor’s words continued to ring in my ears, that I grasped the message I needed to heed: I needed to be alert, not only for our church, but for myself as well. I certainly needed healing right now! I silently declared that healing in Christian Science is always continuous, consistent, and permanent. Scientific healing is never halfway, but always thorough and complete. Christian Science does heal—now and always! With these revelations, a little more progress came. I was now determined to see complete healing. (My back still felt as though I were bearing a heavy weight.)
During the next couple of days, I reached out to God and asked Him how I needed to pray. The answer, my third lesson, came with this scripture: “Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid” (Matthew 5:14 ). Thinking about this, I determined that Christ is my light and that, therefore, Christ’s disciples must reflect light as well. Now, I had often prayed with the word light from the standpoint of sight, illumination, and understanding—but this time I saw it differently! This Christly light I now saw as weightless, completely free from matter’s downward tendencies. I also saw that I could experience this weightless sense of freedom as an expression of Christ’s light. I didn’t need to let my thinking be weighed down by a sense of burden, since I am uplifted by God, divine Love.
About two days later, the fourth angel message came quite unexpectedly. I sat down to read a recent Sentinel and came across a brief editorial in the back (“Gems on your crown,” July 16, 2012). In this article, the author quotes Christ Jesus as he questioned his disciples: “Whom do men say that I am? And they answered, John the Baptist: but some say, Elias; and others, One of the prophets. And he saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Peter answereth and saith unto him, Thou art the Christ” (Mark 8:27–29 ). The editorial then goes on to ask: “What if you asked God a similar question? ‘God, who do You say that I am?’ ”
I pondered this question. Who would God say that I am? The answer came to me as God would answer it: “You are My beloved child. You are and have always been constantly protected and cared for by Me. It is impossible for you to believe in any type of lie about my creation. I created you purely spiritual, whole, and free! I completely protect you. I have your back!” I knew that these inspirations came from God and that I could trust them—and I knew the healing was complete. Within an hour I felt no more discomfort. I could easily bend and move with complete freedom. All sense of heaviness was gone, and the healing has been permanent.
I am so grateful for this healing. I needed to learn those four lessons, and it’s this learning and new understanding for which I am most grateful!
Karen Sevaly
Riverside, California, US
