Healing on a very hot day
A few friends and I went on a trip to New York and were so excited to explore the city. It was a very hot, sunny day, and after a few hours of walking around, I started to feel dizzy because of the heat.
While on the surface this seemed to be a physical issue, I knew from my study of Christian Science that what I was actually dealing with was a belief, or mortal suggestion. A mortal suggestion is something that steers my thoughts away from God and leads me to believe that I’m sick, vulnerable, and separate from God. I know that these kinds of thoughts aren’t true and that I don’t need to listen to them or accept them as real, because God made me perfect in His image. God is good, so I can only reflect good.
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During my time in Christian Science Sunday School, I have learned how to pray for myself; I’ve also learned that God protects us. I know this from reading about people in the Bible, like Daniel, whose reliance on God kept him safe in the lions’ den (see Daniel 6:1–23), and Moses, who led the Israelites to safety when God parted the Red Sea (see Exodus 14). I knew that I could rely on God to take care of me and meet my needs.
After a few hours of walking around, I started to feel dizzy because of the heat.
With these thoughts in mind, I carried on with my day. But by the time we were exploring a museum, I felt that I couldn’t move, breathe, or even stand up. One of my friends, who is also a Christian Scientist, shared with me a few lines from a poem in the Sentinel:
In clean, pure air of everlasting Truth,
Innocent in unfolding sense of Being,
Loved and loving, knowing no coming
or going,
Alone, but not lonely in the infinite family
of Spirit. . . .
(Rosemary Cobham, “Countdown to sunrise,” August 29, 1977)
Because I was struggling to breathe, I held on to that idea of the “clean, pure air of everlasting Truth.” I knew that the only power is Truth, God, and that Truth was dissolving my fear by giving me only true thoughts about myself and my health.
My mum reminded me that God is the only power and that I could walk out of the museum knowing that I am completely protected by His care.
I called my mum and asked her to pray with me. I told her what had happened and that I didn’t want to leave the museum because I was afraid of going back out in the sun. She shared some helpful spiritual ideas that immediately calmed me down. One was that I could let go of this fear of the sun. She reminded me that God is the only power, so the sun had no power to harm me, and that I could walk out of the museum knowing that I am completely protected by His care and forever maintained as His perfect reflection.
After talking with my mum, I felt better. I stood up to the fear; I wasn’t going to let anything ruin my day. I walked outside and was relieved to have let go of feeling afraid. My friends and I continued our activities, knowing that we express God’s harmony. I felt well for the rest of our trip.
This experience has helped me improve my practice of Christian Science. I’ve realized that anytime we are met with a problem, it’s an opportunity to reaffirm our faith and to gain a better understanding of God’s care for us. No matter what the issue is, we can always turn to and rely on God.