One morning many years ago, shortly after I arrived at my job as a sales clerk in a department store, I began to feel unwell. The news media had announced that flu season was upon us and had been describing the symptoms in graphic detail. Some of my coworkers were out sick, and others were reporting back to work with lingering coughs.

Since sales were slow in the china and bridal registry department where I worked, the manager decided we would spend the day dusting and reorganizing stock. “Cheers,” I muttered to myself as I eyed the many shelves of dishes and glassware. I already felt exhausted. But having experienced healings in Christian Science, I knew I could find relief through prayer.

From the Bible and the writings of Mary Baker Eddy, I had learned that spiritual man—the true identity of each of us—is the expression of God’s goodness and includes perfect health. Christian Science explains that God, Spirit, is the only real creator, and that He didn’t make disease, so it has no real power over His children. God’s law of harmony governs all of God’s creation down to the tiniest detail, and no part of that creation is capable of running amok and causing harm. Therefore, symptoms of disease are not of God but are merely false mental suggestions—and we have God-given authority to dispute them rather than accepting illness as inevitable.