Shortly before Christmas in 1981 I became ill. At first I had no control of one finger and couldn't walk normally. Soon, however, I couldn't dial the telephone or even pick up the receiver. My fingers and limbs became immobile.

A Christian Science practitioner was prayerfully helping me, and my decision was to stay with Christian Science, although there was extreme pressure from people who loved me to have medical treatment because they just couldn't see how Christian Science could possibly help. Instead of arguing with them, I stood fast. This was the route I was going to take, and that was that.

The healing did not come in the way I expected. I thought I would wake some morning in full control of my limbs. Instead, there was a whole series of healings, or victories, through which I learned much. The first step forward was a victory over opposition. It could be readily seen that I would not go to a hospital or call a doctor. This was my choice, which everyone soon accepted.

A low point occurred one night when I had great difficulty breathing. I telephoned the practitioner, and he said he would pray for me immediately. I wondered how this situation was going to work out, but I trusted God. Then the thought came to turn over on my other side. With the help of my dear wife, who stood by me all through this experience, I turned over and soon fell into a light sleep.

When I woke I began to get my thoughts in order. I recognized the whole difficulty to be a ridiculous illusion. Though it had seemed to begin when fingers and limbs lost strength and motion, I realized that actually matter had never had strength or vitality to surrender. "The scientific statement of being" in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy, 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."

Whenever I became confused I always went back to my starting point of perfect God and perfect man—"All is infinite Mind and its infinite manifestation." The infinite Mind manifests infinite ideas, I reasoned, and in reality I was a perfect idea of God, deriving full strength and activity from Him. I recalled Christ Jesus' words (John 8:32) "Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." And I could see that mortal illusion is dispelled by an understanding of spiritual reality.

From that point there was evidence of healing. First my breathing became more normal. Then food tasted good again. Movement began to return. One day my wife asked me, "What are you smiling about?" "Watch my hand," I said. "It's moving!" she exclaimed. Very little, but I could move it. Every day brought progress.

I called the local Christian Science Reading Room and asked the librarian to look up a phrase that I remembered from the Christian Science Hymnal. When I was told it was from Hymn No. 354, I looked it up myself and pondered this verse:

I claimed my God-derived strength and sat up. Later I could use a wheelchair. Soon I was standing. Next I walked around a table, hanging on. Shortly I was pushing the wheelchair all over the house. Five weeks after the illness had appeared, I walked unsteadily into our branch church to attend a Wednesday evening testimony meeting, where I publicly expressed gratitude to God.

The healing was soon 100 percent complete, and my wife and I went to Hawaii on a trip we had arranged six months before. We had never even considered canceling the trip. As I gleefully battled the huge waves and swam in the surf, my wife said to me, referring to my freedom of movement, "The practitioner should see you now!" "That's how he always saw me," I answered. Truly, Christian Science heals!

HARRY E. SWARTZ
Glenview, Illinois