For approximately four years I experienced an allergylike reaction during certain seasons. The second year it was so bad once, that my husband, who is not a Christian Scientist, took me to an emergency medical facility, and they gave me some antibiotics. I did as my husband wished and took the medicine, but it really did not help me to breathe any more freely. The season for allergies just passed, without a healing for me.

Each year the attacks would become more severe and last for a longer time. I would pray about the situation, but never thoroughly enough to heal the problem. The fourth and final year, I had what could perhaps be described as fullblown asthma attacks. I decided that I couldn't live with this any longer.

I called a Christian Science practitioner to pray with me until this condition was healed. Many things were revealed to me during this time. There were two pages of Science and Health in particular that I studied. On the second, Mary Baker Eddy states: "We are Christian Scientists, only as we quit our reliance upon that which is false and grasp the true. We are not Christian Scientists until we leave all for Christ" (p. 192). This, I knew, was the starting point for me. I knew that the only way to heal this disease was to follow the example of our Master. I was ready to rely radically on God and His Christ to heal me, no matter how long it might take.

The healing was not quick. There were times when I became discouraged. At one point the words "Lay hold on Life, and it shall be / Thy joy and crown eternally" (Christian Science Hymnal, No. 59) came to mind. The first verse of the hymn begins, "Fight the good fight with all thy might, / Christ is thy strength, and Christ thy right." This gave me courage to know that I did not have to live with this difficulty, because I could be healed! I felt physically better, but my breathing was still not normal. Once, after talking to the practitioner, I saw very clearly that I needed to rejoice! I could almost hear an audible voice telling me to do so. I asked God, "How do you want me to rejoice?" The answer came to examine my life and sincerely see all of what I had to be grateful for. I did this for two or three days. It was a peaceful, awakening experience.

Then one night, when we were on a vacation trip, I had a bad attack. I got out of bed so that I wouldn't wake my husband. I was feeling desperate, so I silently cried out for a message from the Christ, saying, "What can I do?" The answer came to "sing." Well, I could barely breathe, so I asked, "How can I sing?" The answer came again, "Sing inside your head!" I said, "OK, what do you want me to sing?" The answer was immediately in my consciousness to sing "Joy to the world" (Hymnal, No. 417), and so I did. This calmed my thought, and I was able to go back to sleep. I slept peacefully until morning, when I woke feeling healed. It was the first time in about five months that I had been able to take a full breath without difficulty. This time I sang "Joy to the world" out loud, and really meant it. My husband made a comment about my singing Christmas carols in August, but he did notice that I was completely free. I felt very joyous, knowing that this human belief called asthma did not have power over my life — or over anyone else's life. Only God has power, and He gives us dominion over disease, because we reflect Him as His image and likeness.

When we arrived home from our vacation, the condition tried to recur. But I called the practitioner, and in two days I was totally free. And I have been free ever since.

I give thanks to God for this healing. He sends the Christly, healing thoughts we need, to deliver us from any problem. I am grateful, too, for the dedicated practitioners who are available to us at any time of the day or night and help us in our growth Spiritward.

Several years ago, when I was in the process of fixing dinner, I carried a teakettle full of boiling water toward the sink. It slipped from my grasp, and boiling water flowed all over one hand. Right away I declared aloud, "You can't burn Spirit!" Immediately the pain vanished, along with redness and a large blister that had formed on the palm of my hand. It was that quick. At that moment it was so clear to me that I was "image," entirely spiritual, as God, Spirit, had made me. There was nothing fleshly about me that could suffer or be injured. I was able to clean up the spill and continue on with dinner preparations, singing gratefully as I went about my business. It was as though the whole thing had never happened.

Kendra Santuccio
Paradise, California