Early in my study of Christian Science, I married and moved from a large metropolitan area in the Eastern United States to a small western town by a national park. 

The town’s population ballooned in the summer, but once tourist season ended, few residents and only the most basic services remained. For a city girl, the rural isolation was challenging. I felt like a fish out of water. Soon after moving there, I began to suffer from frequent migraine headaches, which culminated in my retiring to a dark room, where I’d eventually fall asleep.

The last time this occurred, my husband sat by me as he always did and offered to pray. I don’t recall exactly how he prayed, but I’ll never forget the follow-up question he asked: “How has love been expressed in your life?” 

My answer surprised us both: “I don’t feel any love,” I confessed. It was a startling admission for a recent bride. But instead of being hurt, my husband encouraged me to recall any instances of love I had ever felt expressed to or by me. Initially, I resisted, convinced that there were no examples to be found. 

However, with his patient urging, I was able to identify one instance where I had experienced a reciprocal affection with a neighbor’s Springer Spaniel. Never having owned any pets, I hadn’t recognized that bond for what it was, but at the time, it had touched me deeply.

Doing this required a willingness to counter the thought that love was completely absent from my life. But once that hurdle was overcome, more examples poured into my thoughts. I became so engrossed in seeing how love had been a constant in my life that all pain soon ceased, and a peace like none I had ever felt before washed over me. 

I was aware that Love was one of the synonyms for God taught in Christian Science. And I knew that what I had felt was a sense of Love’s sweet presence bringing comfort and healing. 

In the many years since this experience, I have not had another migraine. 

This healing illustrated for me the power behind a favorite Bible verse: “We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord” (II Corinthians 5:8).

Gail A. Jokerst
Green Valley, Arizona, US