In late November 2016, my wife noticed that our beloved Boston terrier, Bella, was limping badly on one leg and was refusing to eat, to go on her daily walk, or to participate in any family activity. She simply wanted to lie in her bed, exhibiting obvious signs of pain with her ears tucked tightly against the back of her head. She is normally very playful and friendly, and we had never seen her before in such a condition.
Some family members remarked, “Bella could be suffering from acute arthritis; I guess she’s older than we realized. Maybe she injured her leg when she jumped out of the car the other day.” Alarmed, my wife made an appointment to see a local veterinarian on the following Monday.
When I received this discouraging report upon returning from work that evening, I rejected from my thought any suggestion that a belief in arthritis or injury could manifest itself as a painful condition in an idea of God, and sensed that Bella needed to feel God’s love for her. She had seemed somewhat depressed since we adopted a kitten a couple of weeks earlier! At the dinner table, Bella yelped in pain when I attempted to pick her up. Instead, I picked her up in her bed and placed it on my lap. I petted her and prayed audibly with repetitions of Psalm 139, verse 14: “(Bella) is fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are thy works, and that my soul knoweth right well” and with the Scientific Statement of Being (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, page 468, by M.B. Eddy), while reminding her audibly of how much God loves her and maintains her perfection as a spiritual idea. Bella responded positively to this prayerful treatment, remaining calm as she sat in my lap for nearly an hour. I continued with study and silent prayer for the rest of the evening.
The next morning, on Friday, my wife cheerfully reported that Bella seemed to be a “little better” as she was able to walk outside in our yard to relieve herself. At dinner time, her appetite seemed to return and she appeared to be able to walk more normally. On Saturday morning, she came downstairs and barked at the drawer containing her tennis balls, indicating that she wanted to play fetch. By Sunday morning she appeared to be completely healed, participating in all of her normal activities. My wife canceled the appointment with the veterinarian promptly on Monday morning with much gratitude for the quick healing. Needless to say that there was no further discussion about arthritis or speculation about the cause of the apparent problem.
J.H.