Relieved of back pain on cruise

In late October of 2012, I joined some friends on a fall cruise touring New England and Canada. The morning we were scheduled to leave for the port, I bent down to put something in my suitcase and suddenly felt a sharp pain in my lower back. It felt as if I had severely pulled a muscle. I was able to stand and walk, but by the time my friends and I got to our shared cabin, I found it quite painful to get up after sitting down. I‘d had previous bouts with lower back pain for almost ten years, and most times it usually took several days to recover.

My first reaction to this new incident was fear. I feared that it would take a long time to heal, and because of that I wouldn’t be able to participate in any of the cruise excursions we had booked. Although I didn’t say anything to my friends as we were unpacking, I could tell that they noticed I was uncomfortable. I knew they were concerned even though no comments were made.

In the past, I had been helped by Christian Science practitioners when I needed prayerful support, but this time I knew I needed to start praying for myself immediately. As my friends and I settled into our cabin, I sat down to calm my thought. Suddenly an angel thought came—a resounding “No!” I found myself thinking: “I refuse to give in to this mental suggestion!” The idea that discord was not real and had no foundation or basis in Truth was what I needed to keep in my thought.

Before the trip, a Christian Science friend had also given me some wonderful thoughts that she had written down about protection and safety, and two in particular stood out. One was Mary Baker Eddy’s definition of good as “God; ... omni-action”—all action, all good (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 587 ). The other was a sentence that spoke even more to my situation: “ ‘There is no death, no inaction, diseased action, overaction, nor reaction‘ ” (Science and Health, p. 427 ). If that was true, my friend wrote, then I could have no accident, tragedy, trauma, or injury­—not even on this trip.

I prayed with this idea all afternoon and evening, knowing that I truly had dominion over pain. I also worked with a favorite verse from the Bible: “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness” (Isaiah 41:10 ). At some point during that prayerful time, I began to feel completely protected and reassured that all was well.

That night, while I was still feeling some lower back pain, I was able to sleep well. By the next morning I was so free of the pain that I actually forgot all about it. I was able to walk, sit, and stand, and many times I used the stairs instead of the elevator. I even walked the whole lap around the top deck of our cruise ship several times that week without any trouble.

Not only was the rest of my vacation pain-free, the time spent with my friends was harmonious and loving. This was significant because before the trip I was somewhat concerned about how four of us were going to share one room without getting in each other’s way. Instead, everyone showed courtesy and patience, and we genuinely enjoyed each other’s company. It was truly a wonderful experience.

It wasn’t until the end of the cruise, and after I returned home, that I really reflected on the incident. As you can imagine, I was extremely grateful, and since that time I have not experienced any more back problems. I am so very grateful for being introduced to Christian Science as a young adult, and to Mary Baker Eddy for her blessed gift of Christian Science to humanity.

Barbara Corbett
Collingswood, New Jersey, US