Illness on trip healed

The Bible tells us that God spoke to Moses as He would speak to a friend (see Exodus 33:11). Oh, how many times I have longed for that kind of communication with our Father-Mother God! Even though I don’t seem to be at that point, I cherish the times when I feel God’s thoughts speaking to me clearly and wonderfully, with healing results.

Recently, a few weeks after my wife’s passing, I flew to Colorado to visit my adult kids, who all currently live in a small town a few hours from Denver. I timed my flight to the Denver airport so that I could hitch a ride with a group of young folks who were all counselors at a camp for Christian Scientists near where my kids live.

After landing in Denver, I met up with the group of young men and women and spent a few hours in the airport with them as they shepherded young campers to their various flights. When they were finished seeing off their campers, about seven counselors and I boarded a van and headed off through the mountains of Colorado. However, as we began the drive, I started to feel quite ill and was concerned this would be a very uncomfortable trip for me. 

Inspired by the truths I had heard the counselors share with the children, I began praying, acknowledging the ever-presence, allness, and infinite goodness of my Father-Mother God. I prayed silently, affirming the truth of my harmonious relationship to divine Love, God, and my status as the image and likeness of God (see Genesis 1:26, 27). I knew this Mother-Love maintained my perfection as the very expression of Her flawless nature. I continued affirming my spiritual freedom and health, but the discomfort seemed to become more aggressive and painful.

I decided to pull out my copy of the latest issue of The Christian Science Journal and read the first article that caught my eye. The piece I found talked about cherishing Christ Jesus’ mission. 

After I read the article, a verse from the Gospel of John in the Bible came clearly to thought: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (3:16). This was a familiar Bible passage that spoke to me of God’s immense love for all of us, manifested through the appearance of Christ Jesus. 

This thought was followed by more inspiration from my Father-Mother. The idea came that God so loved the world that He gave the Comforter, the Science of Christ, which Jesus promised would come, and which Mary Baker Eddy discovered and labored to explain to humanity. It was very clear to me that, although the passage from the Gospel of John was referring to Christ Jesus and his unique place as God’s beloved Son, the appearing of the Comforter, too, is unequivocally a manifestation of God’s infinite love for humanity (see John 14:16).

Mrs. Eddy, through her life’s work, made available to mankind this precious Science, which has helped and healed thousands and healed me numerous times in my life. I was filled with a deep gratitude for her perseverance in elucidating this Science and establishing her Church. Specific gratitude for The Christian Science Publishing Society and the work involved in sharing The Christian Science Journal and the Christian Science Sentinel with the world also filled my thought. 

As I continued to listen, I was inspired by the idea that God so loves His entire creation, and that He naturally causes every idea in His infinite, ever-present kingdom to be good and pure and wonderful. I saw these qualities expressed so naturally by the young counselors I was with. 

A final specific thought came quickly. “And God so loves you.” I realized that since Love is our creator, our Father-Mother, every one of Her children must always be included in a sweet and gentle embrace of pure love. This made a genuine and authentic impression on my thought. 

This embrace of divine Love, God, is true for each one of us, including every man, woman, and child everywhere. And along with that thought the physical discomfort I was experiencing just melted away in a few seconds. I was free and humbly grateful for the power behind this recognition of God’s great love for His children.

And then to add a little sugar to this sweet healing, the van came around a bend in the road with the vista of a wide valley. Right there in view was the clearest, crispest, horizon-to-horizon double rainbow any of us had ever seen. My only thought was a line from a well-loved poem by Mrs. Eddy: “ ’Twas Love whose finger traced aloud / A bow of promise on the cloud” (Poems, p. 7).

Mark Strickland
Rancho Santa Margarita, California, US