Will I be able to use Christian Science effectively in case of...

Doris C. Smidt

Will I be able to use Christian Science effectively in case of emergency? This question bothered me for some time after I began the study of Christian Science. I was confident that all physical problems could be healed if there were time and opportunity to pray and study the Bible and the textbook, Science and Health by Mrs. Eddy. However, the question of emergencies remained in my thought.

Mrs. Eddy writes (ibid., pp. 12, 13): "In divine Science, where prayers are mental, all may avail themselves of God as 'a very present help in trouble.' " This proved to be true in my experience.

I was alone in a hotel room in a foreign country. It was necessary to stand on a chair to reach for something. I lost my balance and fell, striking my body against a metal bed frame. I was knocked unconscious, and as I began to regain consciousness, I could hear someone speaking. As I became fully conscious, I realized that it was me talking and I had reached the last line of "the scientific statement of being," from page 468 of our textbook: "Therefore man is not material; he is spiritual." There was sharp pain and inability to move my legs, so I confidently continued to repeat aloud "the scientific statement of being." I knew that the truths stated about me were correct, and powerful in establishing my perfect identity as a child of God. Within minutes the pain ceased, and I was able to get up and walk about the room.

There was no further trouble with movement, but I was concerned about having a black eye, as appointments were scheduled for a business meeting with many people. So I continued to ponder the statement, especially this sentence (p. 468): "All is infinite Mind and its infinite manifestation, for God is All-in-all." I realized that discord—in this instance skin discoloration—could not be a manifestation of infinite Mind. By the time of the meeting there was no discoloration. It had disappeared, and I went about my business engagements in the normal manner.

I was overjoyed at the result of applying Christian Science in this emergency and grateful that I had not panicked, or forgotten the healing statements in our textbook. In fact, I had used them without being fully conscious. This experience proved to me the ever-presence and ever-availability of God's help in case of emergency, and I no longer doubted or lacked confidence in my ability to use Christian Science effectively. The relief from such worrisome thoughts brought a sense of freedom from fear and a measure of gratitude for Christian Science I had never had before.

(Mrs.) Doris C. Smidt
Arlington, Virginia

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Words of Current Interest

March 31, 1973

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