Early in my marriage and after I became a mother, I suffered debilitating back issues for a few weeks at a time. Sometimes I stayed in bed, but my children needed attention, so when my husband wasn’t available, I would move with slow steps and a ramrod-straight back to care for them, even though I was in pain. 

When this first happened, it became a time of great spiritual growth for me. I daily studied the textbook of Christian Science, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy, and the weekly Bible Lessons from the Christian Science Quarterly—all of which offered great support and inspiration. I was impressed by the dedication and perseverance of the many people in the Bible who overcame adversity. I strove to be as faithful as they were and to express joy, grace, and love at all times. In a few weeks, I was able to move around freely without pain.

When it happened the second time, shortly after my second child was born, I memorized helpful citations from the Bible and Science and Health. One of my favorites was, “All that really exists is the divine Mind and its idea, and in this Mind the entire being is found harmonious and eternal” from page 151 of Science and Health. This helped me understand that there is nothing outside of the infinite Mind—God—to know or to conceive. The concept of myself as hurt or having difficulty moving was not my true identity. I saw that this false concept was part of a belief that I am material and that there is substance in matter; it was also a suggestion that I could somehow be outside the perception of infinite Mind.