It is time that I express my gratitude and share some of the blessings I have received through my study and practice of Christian Science. I started studying Science several decades ago and have found that it has met all of my needs over the years.

The first time that I turned to Christian Science for healing was a seminal experience for me. When I was in graduate school on the West Coast, a friend and I took a few days to cross-country ski and winter camp. That weekend the weather was bright and clear; the sun was shining. While skiing, I became so warm that I removed all of my outerwear right down to my T-shirt. I recall that the sun was blinding and I had no sunglasses.

We had a wonderful time, but when I returned home, I noticed that the skin on my arms and face was very badly sunburned.

My mother had been raised in Christian Science, so I knew about Christian Science practitioners and was familiar with some concepts. But I did not really know what Christian Science was all about. 

At the time of this healing, I had been seeking a deeper meaning to life, and I remembered that Christian Science teaches that everyone is God’s child, the perfect image and likeness of Him, so all are included in His goodness. I’d had access to Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy, which was full of wonderful ideas concerning the spiritual nature of man, the universe, and Life itself. The ideas in Mrs. Eddy’s book really spoke to me; they made sense to me.

I wanted to find out more, and, faced with this severe sunburn, I decided to rely on Christian Science and call a Christian Science practitioner for the first time. The idea of really trusting God to meet my needs was new to me, but I had a childlike expectation of healing.

I do not recall what the practitioner said to me specifically, but I do remember praying with the idea that I was not a material being, but rather the spiritual idea of God. I continued praying in this way with the practitioner, and within three days, all of my skin was completely back to normal. My fellow students noticed right away, and they commented on how quickly the burn and blisters had healed. I smiled, because trusting in God had brought good, healing results. For me, this was proof of my spiritual nature and of God’s care for His children.

Mrs. Eddy states, “A spiritual idea has not a single element of error, and this truth removes properly whatever is offensive” (Science and Health, p. 463). This passage conveys the basis of this healing. I am that spiritual idea, which has never had a single element of error! Being that perfect child of God, I reflect the qualities of God, such as purity and goodness. These qualities cannot be burned or marred.

Ever since this experience, Christian Science has been the backbone of my life. I am very grateful and full of joy to know that, as Christ Jesus said, “With God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26).

Cynthia Deupree
Charlottesville, Virginia, US