One morning when my wife and I were staying at a lodge, I awoke very early. Instead of trying to go back to sleep, I dressed and went out to the lodge’s dining room, where it was light, and I began to study the weekly Bible Lesson from the Christian Science Quarterly. It was the morning of an annual Christian Science students’ association meeting that I was scheduled to attend, and I probably awoke early because of the anticipation of attending the meeting and hearing the teacher’s address. 

About an hour later, I felt some abdominal pain, and it seemed wise to go back to my room. The pain very quickly intensified, and it was all that I could manage not to cry out. At one point, I felt myself beginning to pass out. I immediately declared “No!” (silently, because I did not want to concern my wife). 

The feeling of passing out was soon gone, but the intensity of the pain meant all I could do was continue declaring “No!” while holding on to the thought that within the divine consciousness, God, there is no pain. I knew that matter has no authority to communicate anything to me. And then the pain left just as quickly as it had come.