As I fell asleep one night, my right shoulder became painful. When I awoke the next morning to prepare for a full day of babysitting my seven-month-old grandson, I felt such pain that I could hardly dress or lift my arm to brush my hair.

I had to watch the time, but I knew better than to allow this pain to influence me any further. I have learned from studying the Bible and the Christian Science textbook, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy, that I am God’s, Spirit’s, image and likeness, and therefore spiritual. Although I had gotten up at my regular time, I knew I had the minutes, even hours, if needed, to confront this ailment, which I recognized as a lie about me—God’s spiritual creation. Understanding that time is a limited, mortal measurement, not part of how God sees or measures our progress, I knew that God would grant me all that I needed in order to pray about this issue.

The first thing I did was to identify myself as Father-Mother God’s expression, Her daughter, as Jesus lovingly identified the woman he healed who had been hemorrhaging for 12 years. This story was shared in that week’s Bible Lesson found in the Christian Science Quarterly (see Matthew 9:20–22). What other truths did the Bible Lesson have to share?