When I was thirteen, I developed about two dozen warts on my hands. They weren’t very visible, so I wasn’t too self-conscious about them, but at times they were uncomfortable. I wished they would just go away, but I knew that healing was possible through Christian Science prayer.

The problem was, I didn’t think I knew enough about Christian Science to heal the warts. So for more than a decade, I resigned myself to living with them. I didn’t talk to anyone about them, so it’s likely my parents were not aware of the issue. Then, after graduating from college, I decided to go through Primary class instruction in Christian Science. I felt a need to deepen my understanding of God and my relationship to Him before heading off to live in Asia for an indefinite period of time. I knew there weren’t any Churches of Christ, Scientist, or fellow Christian Scientists within several hours of my soon-to-be home.

One day during class, we were given an assignment to write out a Christian Science treatment addressing any discordant situation or disease that might be challenging us. After studying readings from the Bible and the writings of Mary Baker Eddy that my teacher had assigned us, I decided that in my treatment, I would address this situation with the warts. 

While writing out the treatment, I had doubts that it would be effective. But I persisted. I knew that in Christian Science, man (referring to all men, women, and children) is understood as the spiritual and perfect offspring of God. The first book of the Bible, Genesis, reveals man made in the image and likeness of God (see chapter 1). Warts are certainly not a part of God, and therefore cannot be included in His image and likeness. I was learning in class the importance of acknowledging the allness of God, infinite Spirit, and the consequent nothingness of matter in any form—including warts or any ugly, unnatural condition. I finished writing my treatment along these lines and went to bed.

Sometime in the middle of the night, I woke up and was unable to go back to sleep. I decided this was a good opportunity to read and study my treatment, and to make a sincere effort to fully accept the healing truths—the present reality—I had written down. I consciously rejected the fears, doubts, and thoughts of discouragement coming to mind, replacing them with what I had been learning about the truth of my being as God’s spotless child. 

I ended up praying for several hours, and I became completely absorbed with the power of divine Truth. I knew that I no longer needed to just “wish” the warts away. All thoughts of warts as belonging to me were gone. I was no longer approaching the problem from the standpoint of trying to heal a material condition with prayer. Rather, I was rejoicing in the reality of life in Spirit. It was the first time I had ever felt such a precious closeness to God. I completely forgot about the warts, so it never crossed my mind to check for any changes to my hands when I woke up the next day. In fact, a week passed before I noticed that there were no more warts on my hands!

This was a landmark healing for me. I’m grateful for having been raised in this precious Science, for having attended a Christian Science Sunday School, and for the opportunity to be a member of my local branch Church of Christ, Scientist.

Julie Littell
Michigan City, Indiana, US