When my son, Stephen, was a young child, his feet were so flat that it affected his ability to walk and run normally. Because I was a Christian Scientist and my husband was not, when we married we had agreed that if such a situation arose, if he wished, we would take our children to a doctor. In this case, we made an appointment with a doctor who referred us to an orthopedic surgeon. The surgeon said our son's feet were unusually flat and prescribed the use of orthopedic shoes, but he offered little encouragement that the shoes would actually correct the condition.

We purchased the shoes, but they were so cumbersome that we discontinued using them after a short time. I saw this as an opportunity to turn to Christian Science and its prayer-based approach to healing. I recalled that Mary Baker Eddy's explanation of the spiritual meaning of Church included the word structure. The passage describes Church as "the structure of Truth and Love; whatever rests upon and proceeds from divine Principle" (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 583).

Perhaps that doesn't seem to apply to a prayer about a boy's flat feet. But as I considered this statement, I began to think of Church less as a place and more as an idea. I knew Truth and Love to be Biblical names for God. I liked the concept of letting Truth structure my thoughts, basing them on the foundation of a perfect God maintaining His perfect creation. I began to feel more of divine Love's care for me, my child, and more broadly, all of God's children. Also, I had a keener desire to have God, as the universal Principle, be the basis for all my activities and dealings with others.

I also came across this statement about bones, which I found applicable to my son's condition: "Bones have only the substance of thought which forms them. They are only phenomena of the mind of mortals. The so-called substance of bone is formed first by the parent's mind, through self-division. Soon the child becomes a separate, individualized mortal mind, which takes possession of itself and its own thoughts of bones" (ibid., pp. 423-424).

These were amazing concepts to me; though in the light of what I was learning about the spiritual nature of God's creation, they made all the sense in the world. I was still growing in my spiritual understanding of them, but armed with strong faith, I knew these statements to be true. They fortified my confidence in the power of prayer to heal Stephen. Somehow, misshapen feet now seemed less formidable to me. If bones had only the substance of thought, that same concept could be applied to whatever was seen to cause flat feet, and certainly my thinking could be improved and strengthened.

At that point, I began paying less attention to the physical condition of my son's feet and much more to what I was accepting as valid thoughts. Were my thoughts derived from divine Truth? Were they motivated by Love? Were they based on Principle? I focused my attention on "things of the Spirit." It was quite an exercise in living Jesus' teaching to love one another.

From then on, I don't remember anyone even referring to Stephen's feet. The condition was healed. Growing up, he walked and ran normally and was active in sports—including floor hockey and basketball. His feet are normal to this day, including perfectly structured arches.

Susan Lapointe
Lexington, Massachusetts