Christian Science entered my life soon after the First World War...

HILDEGARDE BALMAIN

Christian Science entered my life soon after the First World War. I was nineteen and enjoyed a year of Christian Science Sunday School. During that year, while in the countryside with friends, I suddenly realized I was sitting in a patch of poison ivy. Before this I'd suffered a severe reaction to the plant. But now, using my new-found understanding of Science, I denied that it had power to harm me. I affirmed that "God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good" (Gen. 1:31). This meant that there had never been a provision for poison in God's perfect creation. No evidence of ivy poisoning developed on my body. And years later, on two occasions, I handled the plant while gardening, with no ill effects.

Another time, while I was trying force a window open, my hand smashed through the glass and my wrist bled profusely. I called a practitioner and told her I might have severed a vein. I also mentioned there was a large open wound in the wrist. She assured me she would pray for me. The bleeding stopped, and the wound knitted together nicely. A few days later a visiting relative, who was a doctor, noticed my wrist and remarked, "My, that's a fine piece of surgery you have there. Who was the surgeon?" How grateful I was to tell him it was God alone.

One Sunday I received an insect bite on my foot. On Monday I could not wear my shoe. The following day the swelling had spread, and the leg was discolored. Fearing blood poisoning, I called a Christian Science practitioner to pray for me. I was given some helpful citations to study from Science and Health by Mrs. Eddy. By next morning the swelling and discoloration were completely gone, and I was free.

One night I was wakened by sharp pain in my arm, shoulder, and neck. So the rest of the night I sat in a chair reading from Science and Health. I considered throughly "the scientific statement of being," which begins (p. 468): "There is no life, truth, intelligence, nor substance in matter. All is infinite Mind and its infinite manifestation, for God is All-in-all." In two days I was healed.

I've also overcome a case of eyestrain. For a couple of days I'd been unable to tolerate exposure to any light. Then I listened to a radio broadcast of a Christian Science lecture. Its Christly message shared so many inspiring truths that when I turned on the lights I realized healing had taken place—my eyes were fine. What a blessing we have in divine Science!

HILDEGARDE BALMAIN
Boca Raton, Florida

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