I’m very grateful for the immediacy and effectiveness of relying on God’s healing power.

One Sunday afternoon early last summer, I took my dog for a walk around the neighborhood. On our return trip home, as we followed the usual route, I misjudged my step up onto the curb and went stumbling face forward onto the concrete sidewalk. After taking a moment to collect myself, I was able to get up and continue the short distance to my home—all the time assuring myself of God’s presence with me. I was immediately grateful that there didn’t seem to be any broken bones.

Although my nose began to bleed after the fall, the bleeding stopped just a short time after I went into the house. The Bible verse “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear” (I John 4:18) had come to me, and I held on to that as I cleaned myself up.

The next morning, as I was getting dressed, I took a quick look in the mirror and saw that my face was bruised and both eyes had black circles around them. I realized I needed to know that my true reflection was my spiritual identity as God’s likeness, which included only His goodness and perfection. As Science and Health states: “The substance, Life, intelligence, Truth, and Love, which constitute Deity, are reflected by His creation; and when we subordinate the false testimony of the corporeal senses to the facts of Science, we shall see this true likeness and reflection everywhere” (p. 516). I prayed with these truths as I went about my day. 

I hadn’t told anyone about the incident, because I wanted to give myself some quiet time for prayer. I knew I could lean on God and listen for His healing thoughts. When my daughter came over for a visit later that morning, she of course was concerned. But I immediately assured her I was all right and then told her what had happened. She is also a Christian Scientist, and said she would support me in my desire to completely rely on God for healing.

The next day I was scheduled for some volunteer work at church that required my working with the public. As my appearance hadn’t seemed to improve and I was walking with some difficulty, I asked a friend to take my place. 

It was at this point that I felt I needed help in my prayers, and I called on a church member for prayerful support. One of the ideas we talked about was a reference in that week’s Christian Science Bible Lesson—about man being upright and unfallen. I understood that man is a generic term and that it includes both man and woman. Therefore I was upright and unfallen, not only physically but in my thinking as well. 

I looked up the definition of upright in a dictionary and found that it means to be vertical and also moral. I thought about how my activities are guided by a desire to live the Golden Rule and how nothing could interfere with those right activities. I often stated, “God made me upright,” and felt the power of that spiritual idea.

I also considered a verse from Psalms that begins, “For the Lord God is a sun and shield” (84:11). This spoke to me of God’s all-presence bringing the light of spiritual understanding to our thoughts. And another passage from Science and Health that gave me a sense of dominion and helped dissolve my fear was: “A material body only expresses a material and mortal mind. A mortal man possesses this body, and he makes it harmonious or discordant according to the images of thought impressed upon it. You embrace your body in your thought, and you should delineate upon it thoughts of health, not of sickness. You should banish all thoughts of disease and sin and of other beliefs included in matter” (pp. 208–209). The next day, I was happy to feel that healing was progressing rapidly. I was walking much more freely, and both the soreness and bruising in my face had disappeared. 

A little more than a week later, I resumed my regular one-mile walk around the neighborhood and had no difficulty.

How grateful I am for this healing. I’m grateful to God for His love, and for this practical and healing religion—Christian Science.

Nancy Lewis
Temecula, California, US

I’m happy to verify my mother’s testimony. She has been a Christian Scientist almost all of her adult life. Throughout my childhood, she and my father always relied on their understanding of God and His care for our health-care needs. I had many quick healings as a youngster, and I always felt safe, loved, and protected.

My mother and I see each other often. She leads a very active life. The day after the incident occurred, I came to her house for a visit. She hadn’t told me what had taken place, and I was a little shocked by her appearance. Her response to me was that she could never fall from God’s embrace.

I supported her with my own prayers. Although popular belief claims that people of advancing years are more susceptible to accidents and health challenges, I have learned through my study of the Bible and Science and Health that as the image and likeness of God, everyone is ageless in His eyes.

I was so happy to see that healing was occurring quickly. Within a few days the bruises on her face had disappeared and her walking was returning to normal. A short time later, the healing was complete.

I’m so grateful for this healing and for the many other healings that have taken place in our family through the study of Christian Science. 

Betsy Carlisle
Temecula, California