Love for God and man impels me to offer my grateful...

Pearl Stuckey Knudsen

Love for God and man impels me to offer my grateful acknowledgment of benefits received from Christian Science. For nine years I had been seeking health and harmony through physicians and drugs, but without avail. As diagnosed by different physicians, I had partial paralysis of the bowels, and after all these years spent with materia medica, and later with other healing systems, I was in a much worse condition than when I began. Finally conditions grew alarming, and an acute attack was pronounced inflammation of the bowels and hemorrhoids, from which there was no relief except in a surgical operation. Then, as a last resort, I turned to Christian Science.

At this time I only knew that Christian Science claimed to heal the diseases of the flesh, and it was for this alone that I sought it. During these years of physical distress I had been very much dissatisfied with my spiritual status, so much so that at one time I removed my letter from the church of which I was a member, remaining outside of the organization for years; but I renewed my membership, because all of my family were there. I was seeking a practical religion, though up to this time my religious training had been beautifully theoretical but lamentably impracticable.

In September, 1907, I came to Christian Science for help, and was instantly healed of the inflammation and hemorrhoids and have had no return of the discordant conditions. Overjoyed at this beautiful demonstration of God's care, I told the practitioner that I must know how it was done, and he handed me a copy of "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" by Mrs. Eddy, saying that it was all explained in that book. I immediately began to read the text-book, and it is leading me to an understanding of God, who, as the psalmist declares, "forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases." It was four months, however, before the paralysis yielded and regular action was established. During these months the faithful practitioner steadily pointed me to "the only living and true God." I am thankful for this slower healing, for by the time I had received it I was seeking "first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness," and all things are being "added" unto me. Hereditary sick-headaches, neuralgia, and other diseases are gradually yielding to Truth.

In 1905, my little daughter, who was then eight years old, was playing whip-crack at school, when she was thrown from the end of the line, severely injuring her spine. Very serious congestion of the bowels, spasms, erysipelas, and stomach trouble followed as a result of this injury and she was unable to attend school. Upon advice of the best physicians we maintained the strictest diet for her, dosed her with drugs, kept her in the country, gave her physical exercise, etc., but with little, if any, improvement. In October, 1907, after I had received so much help from Christian Science, my husband and I decided that the child could be benefited by the same means. We had been reading only a few weeks, but such was our faith in God that we threw away all medicine and let the child have solid food. She was not under the care of a practitioner, but we did our best to know the truth. Two weeks from the time we began to depend on God for her healing, she was eating anything she wished. She improved in all ways, showing no more signs of the former discords. For three years she has been exceptionally well, doing her school work and taking a very thorough course of musical study. She is also learning the truth of being, and tries to work cut her own problems.

I am indeed grateful for the physical healings, since "they are the sign of Immanuel, or 'God with us'" (Science and Health, Pref., p. xi). Through the study of the Bible and our text-book I am beginning to know God, and so am enabled to show forth more of His attributes. I have found the religion which one carries into daily living, and it is transforming all creation for me. I can best make known my loving gratitude to God, and to our Leader, by "the prayer of fervent desire for growth in grace, expressed in patience, meekness, love, and good deeds" (Science and Health, p. 4).

Mrs. Pearl Stuckey Knudsen, Texarkana, Tex.

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