Healing of infection brings single-minded devotion to God
Christian Science is a way of life to me. My mother faithfully took me to Sunday School each week while I was growing up, and she was instrumental in nourishing the seeds of spiritual understanding that have borne fruit in my life.
It has only been in the past few years, however, that I have gained a fuller appreciation of what it means to be a Christian Scientist. I have found that serving God goes far beyond being a member of The Mother Church and one of its branches, reading the Bible Lesson in the Christian Science Quarterly, or participating on committees and in other aspects of church work.
After several years of faithful service in my branch church, there was a period when it seemed I had one problem after another: strained family relationships, unemployment in the family, sickness, depression, and general unhappiness. It appeared as if the problems would never cease. I sought help from several Christian Science practitioners at different times, and each worked closely with me, strengthening, encouraging, and supporting me through prayer. This period was one of emerging from the gloom of material sense into the brightness of spiritual Truth.
During this time, what appeared to be an infection in one of my legs incapacitated me. I couldn't walk without help and spent most of my time in bed. I was also afraid that I would not be able to continue my normal activities of teaching in a public school and caring for my husband and home.
The practitioner who was helping me came to my bedside one day; he encouraged me to be persistent and steadfast in affirming what is really true: that Christian Science heals because it reveals true being, and that nothing can separate me from my birthright of spiritual perfection in God. He reminded me that error, whether in the form of sickness or some other type of difficulty, sometimes seems most tenacious and real when it is on the verge of being destroyed by Truth. He urged me to ponder the message of these words from Hymn No. 139 in the Christian Science Hymnal:
I walk with Love along the way,
And O, it is a holy day;
No more I suffer cruel fear,
I feel God's presence with me here.
Soon I began to feel that the healing influence of the Christ was with me, and that I didn't have to be afraid. This was the turning point. The fear was broken, and uncertainty and doubt were replaced by a renewed trust in God.
The next day the pain ceased, the swelling went down, and the infection drained. I was free! The healing has been complete and permanent. This was a milepost in my spiritual growth and proved to me that God does heal our ills as we turn to Him wholeheartedly and with a sincere desire to understand Him better. I felt I was actually learning to demonstrate the healing method of Science instead of merely reading about it and then keeping what I learned on a mental shelf to admire.
Soon after this inspiring healing, another family problem came up, and I decided it was high time for me to be more single-minded in my devotion to God. This prompted me to apply for class instruction in Christian Science. I was accepted, and this step was indeed a turning point in my life. I was beginning to fathom what Mary Baker Eddy meant when she made this statement in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures (p. 66): "Trials are proofs of God's care." The human difficulties I was encountering were forcing me to grow Spiritward—to progress in my understanding of God.
As a result of the joyous two weeks of class instruction, I now perceive health and happiness in a new, more spiritual, light; and the former family problems have been healed because I have gained a more spiritual sense of family. Mrs. Eddy refers to Jesus' views on family, which were a help to me (Science and Health, p. 31): "Jesus acknowledged no ties of the flesh. He said: 'Call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven.' Again he asked: 'Who is my mother, and who are my brethren,' implying that it is they who do the will of his Father."
I am grateful that both my husband and I have had the blessed privilege of class instruction. We certainly have the spiritual tools to work out whatever may confront us.
HELEN HILSON MILLER
Miami, Florida