As a young adult I knew little about the Bible and the teachings of Christianity, but I believed there had to be one supreme law governing all, a law of God (though I might not have expressed it as such then). For several years I attended services and talked to ministers of various denominations, but I was reluctant to accept what they said on the basis of faith alone.

In 1946 I was dating a Christian Scientist and I decided to look into her religion. I bought a copy of Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy, and over the course of the next year I read it all the way through. Although there was much that I did not understand, there was much more that made sense to me; and I knew that I had found the statement of law that I had been looking for.

During that year I had my first proof of the healing efficacy of Christian Science. It came about while I was flying in a military plane with an unpressurized cabin and suffering the intense pain of a sinus headache. When this had happened before, I had simply endured it until the plane landed. The return to normal atmospheric pressure had usually brought a release from the pain. This time though, I decided to apply the Science I had been studying. I remember filling my thought with the truth that God is Life, Truth, and Love, and pondering the meaning of each of these synonyms. Within minutes the pain was gone and did not recur. I knew then that Christian Science is a demonstrable Science, and I began to think of myself as a Christian Scientist.

There have been many proofs since then of God's loving care for His creation, including healings of disease and the resolution of relationship and family problems. Professional challenges have been met as well.

One healing that has meant much to me was the healing of the effects of fear. During parachute training in 1953 I injured my knee. If I had landed as I had been taught, there would have been no injury, but I acted out of fear, forcing my body to roll to the right when the wind and the motion of the parachute were carrying me to the left. The knee was twisted so badly that I could not walk.

With the prayerful help of a Christian Science practitioner my physical needs were met. In two days I was able to drive a car; in two weeks I could walk freely; in two months I was climbing mountains in Korea. In short, I was able to do everything I had to do when I had to do it. But the healing was not complete, for my fear of parachuting continued undiminished, and from time to time there would be twinges in the knee.

Finally in 1956 I faced up to the fear and requested duty with parachute troops. During the first few jumps with my airborne unit, I had to meet several hazardous conditions—colliding in midair with another jumper, drifting toward trees, landing on hard surfaces—and through reliance on God's all-power I was protected each time. My final examination, so to speak, came during a mass jump of several hundred men. When we loaded into our aircraft, the wind at ground level was exceptionally strong. During the hour or so it took to fly to the drop zone, I prayed steadily to understand that the entire operation was governed by divine Mind, infinite Love, and that therefore there could be no danger. When our planes arrived over the drop zone, the ground wind faded away, and the drop was easy and safe.

As I look back at it, my error in parachute school lay in believing that I could be in danger and that I had to rely on my own uncertain skills for safety. When I learned to rely instead on God's perfect guidance and care, I found a protecting power that kept me from harm. In addition, my eyes were opened to the fun of parachuting—the satisfaction of dominion over anxiety, the incredible peace of floating silently above the earth, the joy of seeing God's complete control of events. I found myself stepping out of the plane door echoing Isaiah's words (55:12) "Ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace." The knee did not bother me during this period of airborne duty, nor has it troubled me since. I was healed of both the fear and the injury.

The Christian Scientist I was dating in 1946 married me long ago, and we have been studying and proving the truths of Christian Science since. I am grateful for all the good that has come to me—my family, my profession, my church work, and my contacts with mankind.

SAMUEL N. KARRICK, JR.
Arlington, Virginia

I am happy to verify my husband's testimony. It was after our marriage that his experiences in jump school and later with the airborne unit took place. I am therefore aware that fear among the novice jumpers and their families can be very great. The intense physical training involved was also a strong challenge that I was grateful to see my husband meet.

The Christian Science Minister for Armed Services Personnel who helped my husband pointed out this passage in Science and Health (p. 395): "Like the great Exemplar, the healer should speak to disease as one having authority over it, leaving Soul to master the false evidences of the corporeal senses and to assert its claims over mortality and disease." During the period of healing, I had complete confidence in the infinite capacity of Soul, and I was sure that my husband would also come to accept the mastery of Soul. The happy conclusion was as he describes. I am very grateful!

I am thankful, too, for all the other blessings that have come through the study and practice of Christian Science. Membership in The Mother Church and in branch churches over many years has given me much opportunity for spiritual growth. Class instruction in Christian Science and the yearly association meeting are a special source of inspiration.

MARIAN ROSS KARRICK