Author: alk

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.

Last Friday I had the opportunity to pay more attention to God’s angel-messages than despair, and it saved me!

This is what happened. I enjoy playing the recorder, a wooden musical instrument, and was on my way to join a group of fellow recorder-players in a rehearsal and evening playing session. I just had time to stop for a quick dinner, and I chose a well-known hamburger place. Unfortunately, upon returning to my car, I found that someone had smashed in the window and taken my bag of many recorders and another bag with some sailing gear. It was a shock to see this loss, as it hadn’t even occurred to me that these might seem an attractive target. There was a security guard in the parking lot, and he said that this happened right when he took a brief break, and that they had broken his car window, too, taking his backpack. I called the police, who were sorry to hear it, but not able to come out for a few hours, offering the option to report the loss online.

Right when I first saw this, I asked God for an idea, and this is what came: “Nothing of value can be taken from you.” I understood this to mean that since my being is spiritual, and the substance of everything I love is also spiritual, that is why nothing of value could be taken from me. Eternal ideas, true substance, cannot be taken. The security guard suggested I look in nearby dumpsters, as the contents of the bags were not likely what the window-breakers were seeking. This seemed like a reasonable idea to me, so as I looked in nearby dumpsters, I kept cherishing this message: Nothing of value can be taken from me. I also prayed to see that nothing of value could be taken from the one who thought they could benefit by stealing: not their honesty, integrity, purpose, self-worth, or conscious connection with God. I knew I needed to love them as God’s pure child.

After an unsuccessful search, I decided to go down the road a bit to look in behind some nearby buildings in their trash… but no recorders. I stopped to pray more earnestly, rejecting the temptation to mentally catalog the considerable financial loss and give in to woe and sorrow. It seemed like the best thing to do was go home to continue in steadfast prayer, so I began driving that direction.  Very shortly, a call came on my cell phone. I pulled over, and the caller said, “This is kind of a funny thing to ask, but do you have a bag of recorders?” “YES!” I answered. She said someone had thrown three bags on her lawn, and one was my bag of recorders. A second was my sailing bag. She had found a name tag in the bag, Googled the name, and found my phone number on my website. She gave me her address, and I was there in less than ten minutes. Nothing was missing from either of my two bags. The third belonged to the security guard, and I called the hamburger place so he could know to come retrieve his bag, also.

I did go on to play my recorders that evening, with such a heart full of gratitude and joy! I feel the decision to abandon the recorders where there was a possibility they could be recovered (rather than in a dumpster heading for landfill) was the Christ speaking to that individual. I feel the whole episode was really an unusual request for prayer on the part of that individual, and I continue to pray for him. Nothing of value can be taken from me, or from him, either. Thank you to God!!!

Several weeks ago a phrase kept coming to my thought. Day and night it would not leave me. It was: “I will heal thee of thy hardness.” I felt it was a message directed to me from infinite Mind, and I thought I recognized it from a hymn. I focused on the idea “I will heal thee”, to me meaning that God is the healer. I could relax! I didn’t have to come up with some perfect phrase. God is the healer. I mentioned this idea to a church friend, and she found the hymn containing that phrase, number 278 in the Christian Science Hymnal. Here is the verse:

Healed is thy hardness, His love hath dissolved it,
Full is the promise, the blessing how kind;
So shall His tenderness teach thee compassion,
So all the merciful, mercy shall find.

I had been concerned with a large hardness (about the size of a tennis ball, it seemed) in my abdomen. It was not normal. It caused me discomfort at times but was not particularly painful. I wanted to demonstrate Christian Science healing, and because I was not in what I would call critical condition, I felt I had the “closet time” to do this. I have benefited so much from the testimonies, from the Shared Reflections Lecture Series in the Journal as well as other articles in the periodicals, I can’t begin to thank the writers of each contribution. In this case, it all came together with: “I shall heal thee of thy hardness.” I know no physical problem actually exists in God’s presence, but is just a reflection of seeing things outside of truth. When in a recent testimony a man realized “There is no pain in Truth” (Science and Health, p. 113), I thought deeply about what that meant to me and to everyone. I realized the hardness I seemed to be feeling simply represented self-justification, anger, etc., expressed over many years.

Well, God has healed me. The hardness has just gone. I cannot express enough gratitude for all that the Christ, Truth, has brought to us and to Mary Baker Eddy for her tireless efforts to share her discovery of the laws of healing with mankind, and for all those who have followed her teachings and have shared their experiences.

I was planning on going to the Christian Science Church but had trouble getting out of bed, due to a migraine headache. Painfully, I got washed up, dressed, and went to church. Gone were the plans to swim first, eat a bite, and get there early.  I was lucky to get there about twenty minutes into the service. I walked in and sat down on a chair by the door. The usher was standing by the stairs up to the chapel area.  I just sat there.  After a few minutes, I motioned him to the side, and told him my issue. He kindly shared some ideas with me about his friend that had had the same problem, and how turning to God’s love relieved him. I sat down, and literally, within a few minutes, maybe five, the headache was suddenly gone. I got up and climbed the stairs to the chapel. I went up front to sit with my friend who I usually attend church with. She smiled at me, I smiled back, and felt very energized, happy, and grateful to be at the Christian Science Church. She obviously had no idea whatsoever that anything had been wrong with me at all. I am sure that the usher who spoke with me when this happened can completely corroborate this story of a sudden healing.

M.P.

I am so grateful to God for all good, and that even if we think progress is slow, nevertheless God still has the final (and only) say.

One day, I noticed a hard part growing on one foot.  After a while it began hurting when I would walk, as if it were a cut that would not heal.  I prayed some about it, but there seemed no improvement over several months.  I remembered my mom had had similar difficulties, and that was discouraging, as I thought it might be hereditary.

About this time, I was praying deeply to understand God’s presence and power more, not just to try to alleviate this foot problem, but to help some others with some problems they were facing.  There were times of just whole-hearted agreement with God as the only source, that He is completely good, and that man is his perfect expression.  From time to time I would think of or feel this foot problem, and I would quietly declare that because God is all, this is a 3-D mistaken view about me, and I did not have to accept it.

I am delighted to say, that the sharp, hard part stopped hurting, then disappeared completely.  Worrying about it hadn’t helped, nor had trying to ignore it.  I believe it was wiped out by the consistent turning to Love’s government and view.  Thank you, God, for your care of all of us!

ALK

My 95-year-old mother lives in a Christian Science community about 500 miles from me. She has had a few falls over recent years, with good healings each time. Last November she fell again in her apartment. The community staff and a local Christian Science nurse gave her initial help until I could fly down to be with her. She was troubled with severe back pain that made walking extremely difficult, and lying down/getting up painfully hard. I was a practical and metaphysical support for several days, and we used a walker and wheelchair to get around the apartment.

Progress wasn’t being made, however. And that weekend, I was scheduled to fly East for my annual Christian Science Association meeting, an inspiring event my mother did not want me to miss. The Christian Science nurses on call in the area weren’t available for the kind of full-time help she needed. And Mother objected strongly to the other logical option — a Christian Science nursing facility. (“You just go there to die” was her view!) Her care was of course my first priority, and I turned in prayer to God to open the way for a solution that would bless us both, giving her the care she needed and allowing me to attend my meeting — if that were the right course.

One day I was talking to the local Christian Science nurse for suggestions on care, and mentioned the nursing facility as not an option. She immediately said that the facility would be the ideal place for Mother, not only for the loving care she’d receive but also as getting her away from her routine and provide a “metaphysical kickstart” to the healing. Mother had a high respect for this woman’s opinion, and when I shared these thoughts, she quietly agreed to go. We had to transport her to the car in a wheelchair and she was wheeled to her lovely room at the facility when she arrived. She was very receptive to the spiritual atmosphere and delighted by the care (and food!) provided. She was soon touring the facility in a walker, and within the week, able to return home — without a wheelchair. A full-time caregiver was available when she returned, and within a couple of days, she was free of the walker, and needed only a few hours of daytime care. She continues to walk freely without any aid. I’m so grateful for the provision of the nursing facilities (that they are actually places to live and progress), and the clear-sighted confidence the nurses display in guiding patients toward healing.

CO