When I was growing up, I had a lot of ear problems. Earaches, infections and hearing loss all troubled me often. I had to wear special ear protection when I was swimming, and at school, I always sat up front because of my “special needs”.
When I started going to the Christian Science Sunday School, I began learning how to say no to error and to “stand porter at the door of thought” (from page 292 of Science and Health.) This meant that I could watch my thinking and reject hurting ears. I was beginning to see that that pain is a lie, a falsity about God’s loving creation. A lie is not real. It doesn’t exist. Learning these things made a huge difference in my life. The constant ear problems stopped.
Then, a little while ago, when my sister had her ears pierced, I decided to get mine pierced too. They were fine for a few days, then one morning I woke up, and when I looked in the mirror, my earlobes were so swollen that so that my earrings were completely hidden. I almost panicked for a split second. Oh not again! I said. I thought I was done with ear problems! And then I knew I was not going to get anywhere with that kind of thinking. I remembered that what I see in the mirror can’t give true information about how God sees me. I am God’s reflection, not the mirror’s reflection of pain and swelling. So then I sang some hymns and read and highlighted the Bible Lesson.
However, I was still thinking about my ears very negatively. And then I thought about how I cannot be sick, because God is not sick. Since God does not have ear problems, I could not have ear problems. I started to read the Lesson again, wanting to fill my thinking to overflowing with good thoughts and allow no bad ones. My new favorite Science & Health quote helped a lot too (page 242):
“There is but one way to heaven, harmony, and Christ in divine Science shows us this way. It is to know no other reality- to have no other consciousness of life- than good, God, and His reflection, and to rise superior to the so-called pain and pleasure of the senses.”
In Sunday School, we had been writing out the steps in Christian Science treatment, and these helped too. This includes realizing that God is Love, Life, Truth, Mind, Soul, Spirit and Principle, and man reflects Him. Saying yes to this and no to pain helped.
I looked at my calendar and saw many good things to look forward to, including a Leadership Council trip to New York City and a school class trip whitewater rafting. Then I realized my ears weren’t hurting at all anymore. The error had been eliminated and replaced with a bursting, overflowing cup of positive thoughts. I realized I am perfect (including my ears). God has always been right by my side. I became fully aware that this is true.
I was so happy. Even though the doctor had to take care of getting my earrings out, all the pain was gone. I felt so free, letting go of the untrue, unreal junk that had been infecting my thought. I have learned from this experience that when I let my thought and decisions be guided by what I know is really true about God and man, I can rise superior to anything that lies in my path. Yay!
H.A.