I was raised in Christian Science and have relied on its teachings my whole life. My brothers and I had many healings as children, including impetigo, measles, broken bones, dog bites, bee stings, burns, and the flu. 

Overall, however, we were very healthy children. Our faith was supported by the fact that Mom was fearless when it came to trusting God to meet our needs. Healing always came with prayer, often quickly.

When I was in middle school, we moved to a small town. The closest branch Church of Christ, Scientist, was nearly an hour away, but my mom made a point of getting us there as often as possible. As a teenager, I had a lot of other interests, but to keep Mom happy, my brothers and I would attend the Christian Science Sunday School. I would come to appreciate more fully the importance of Sunday School instruction a few years later when helping my best friend, John, find healing.

John played varsity basketball during high school. After graduation he played basketball with friends on a men’s league. One evening during a game, he was injured while going for a rebound under the net. Another player was also trying for the rebound and came down hard on the top of John’s head with his elbow. Although John did not seem badly injured, he immediately started twitching his head. He said he felt a knot or pressure on the vertebrae in his neck, which was relieved by this twitching movement. 

Later, John relied on treatment from a chiropractor to alleviate the problem. However, although he visited the chiropractor quite frequently over many months, the twitch continued. The chiropractor told John he wasn’t sure how to fix the problem but would continue working with him, hoping it would eventually go away. 

The head movement was very distracting, and some of the kids in town and a few of John’s fellow employees at one of the local drive-throughs started calling him Twitch. This didn’t bother him, but he tried to minimize the twitching when he was around friends and customers. I felt compassion for him, and knew he could be healed through Christian Science. 

In Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy writes, “Become conscious for a single moment that Life and intelligence are purely spiritual,—neither in nor of matter,—and the body will then utter no complaints” (p. 14). One evening when John and I were out driving, taking a lap through town, I decided to put this statement to the test. We were stopped at the traffic light in midtown, and as we sat there for a few moments, I could see John twitching his head. I said, “John, do you trust me?” He said yes. Then I said, “I want you to repeat this thought: ‘There is no spot where God is not.’ ” And he did.

At the same time, I silently prayed the First Commandment: “Thou shalt have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:3). My prayer was taking a stand for John’s wholeness and freedom as a loved child of God. 

In that instant he was completely healed. He looked at me and said excitedly, “It’s gone! The pressure is gone! Jeffery, what did you do?” He was awestruck by the transformation and had to pull over to consider what had just occurred. He could hardly believe that the condition had simply vanished. 

I explained that I just knew he had a right to be healed. Christ Jesus said, “Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32). In the instant I knew that truth about my friend’s right to be free, John found relief. The immediacy of the healing was so powerful that he didn’t ask any more questions. 

Over the next few hours, some of our friends noticed the transformation. When asked about the sudden change, John told his high school basketball coach that I had healed him with prayer. Many years later, John mentioned that the coach was still telling friends about this healing. It was that powerful.

The healing at the stoplight occurred over thirty years ago and has been permanent. John still enjoys playing basketball and tennis with friends, and the healing still comes up sometimes in conversation. 

I have often wondered what it was that prompted me at that moment to be so confident, so fearless, in taking a stand for my friend’s perfection. I didn’t even consider what he would think, nor did I doubt that prayer would be effective. Science and Health answers my question on page 444: “Step by step will those who trust Him find that ‘God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.’ ”

Jeffery Driscoll
Metamora, Michigan, US

The events that Jeff talks about did take place. The pain was gone immediately.

John Graham
Daytona Beach, Florida, US