Two powerful healings during college

In my senior year in high school I decided that I wanted to continue in Christian Science in college. So I joined the Christian Science College Organization at the college I was attending. When I became a senior, I was elected the Reader for the college “org,” which meant that I had to prepare readings from the Bible and the Christian Science textbook, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, by Mary Baker Eddy, for our weekly meeting.

One of the requirements for graduation was that each student had to have a chest X-ray, and I had this done. The morning I was preparing my readings, I got a postcard stating that the X-ray had shown chest abnormalities, and that I needed to have a more extensive examination. I was fearful about this, and I thought, “Well, here’s a real opportunity to apply Christian Science.”

I decided to prepare my readings on the topic “a firm foundation,” because I thought this whole thing about a chest abnormality was trying to say that I didn’t have a sound foundation in my chest. Among the selections I made was from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount where he says that the wise man built his house upon a rock, and when the winds blew and the rain fell, the house stayed firm (see Matthew 7:24, 25 ).

In Science and Health, Mrs. Eddy defines rock as “Spiritual foundation; Truth. …” (p. 593 ). This, I felt, was the basis for my healing because I saw that God had made me with a spiritual foundation, and I knew nothing could be decaying or degenerating in my true being.

As I prepared these readings, all fear just drained away. I felt confident that, as a child of God, I was made in God’s image and likeness. I could not express anything but a firm foundation, as God created and maintained me this way. Later, I went to the infirmary for the much more extensive examination and chest X-ray they wanted. I was told that I had a clean bill of health, and they could find nothing wrong. I was very, very grateful for that, and this gave me confidence to see that these readings were healing—they healed me, and I knew that they could help others as well.

Later, as final exams were approaching in January, I had another healing that answered the question: “How would I be helped if I was in a situation where I wasn’t able to pray for myself in Christian Science?” I played intramural hockey, and one evening during a game, one of my teammates and I were going for a loose puck. We were so intent on getting to the puck that we didn’t see each other. We collided, and I hit the ice. I was bleeding profusely and was bundled up and taken to the infirmary.

On the way, all I said was: “What time is it? Where am I?” and “What happened?” They would tell me, and then I would ask the same questions again, over and over. The only declarative statement I made was, “Please call Mr. Schneider.” He was a Christian Science practitioner, and happened to have been my Sunday School teacher at the local Christian Science branch church.

So when they got to the infirmary, they looked up his name and called him. He told them that he was a Christian Science practitioner, that I was a Christian Scientist, and he would come visit me. And he did, although I have no recollection of this. The last thing I remember was playing ice hockey. I never felt any pain, or anything, and the first thing that I remember after this was waking up in an infirmary bed about 2 a.m.

Seeing that there was someone in the other bed next to me, I said, “Was I in an accident?” He got very excited about this new question because I had kept asking the same questions I’d asked in the ambulance, and had been keeping him awake during the night. He asked, “Do you remember that Mr. Schneider came to visit you?” I said, “No, don’t remember that.” He said, “Do you remember your roommates all came to visit you?” And, “Nope, don’t remember that,” but I felt fine. In the morning when the nurses came around, I said: “I feel OK. Can I go home?” They said I couldn’t be released until the doctor came and examined me.

The doctor seemed surprised to see me up and ready to go. He said, “I have to take an X-ray because you had a serious head injury.” They found that I had fractured my skull, but it had all knit together. Because it seemed to be OK, they said I could go.

My roommates were very excited to see me. This was a Thursday night and my first exam was on Monday. They couldn’t see how I could possibly take my exams or even graduate. I felt fine, took my exams on schedule, and graduated.

This really was an answer to my fears about “What would happen if I wasn’t able to pray for myself or call a practitioner?” Here was a case where I couldn’t pray for myself, but God still was able to provide the means for me to be totally protected and to have a Christian Science practitioner pray for me.

I have felt, ever since then, that God would protect me, no matter what the human circumstances, and that’s certainly been the case all these many years since. Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures has opened the Bible to me in a way that has made Jesus’ teachings and his demonstrations logical and clear. It gave me a firm foundation for my entire life, and I’m so grateful for all the blessings that I have had.

Jim Williamson
Reading, Pennsylvania, US