A Testimony

I'm so grateful for Christian Science which teaches us Jesus' point of view--God's perfect creation--and the necessity of seeing this so that we may keep right with God and experience the joy and peace and well-being He wants us to have.

As "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" points out, the religion I practice not only cures disease, it prevents it. A neighbor of ours who was struggling with poison ivy reminded me recenty of both aspects of Christian Science help.

When we moved to the South several years ago, I happened to wander into a patch of poison ivy while exploring the woods behind our house. I was healed of this finally, but it wasn't much fun working out of. Our real estate agent had invited us to dinner, and I could tell she was quite alarmed at the physical appearance. But I assured her something was being done for this condition.

There are any number of truths that may come to the thought of a Christian Scientist when overcoming some physical difficulty. But the way I prayed was along these lines. Earlier in the week while I was studing "Science and Health" one evening this statement stood out to me: "When the condition is present which you say induces disease, whether it be air, exercise, heredity, contagion, or accident, then perform your office as porter and shut out these unhealthy thoughts and fears. Exclude from mortal mind the offending errors; then the body cannot suffer from them. The issues of pain or pleasure must come through mind, and like a watchman forsaking his post, we admit the intruding belief, forgeting that through divine help we can forbid this entrance." (Pages 392, 393)

The words above helped me see that disease was not any part of my real and only selfhood as made in God's likeness. By accepting the premise that God is perfect Spirit, as the Scriptures teach, I recognized the fact that the creations of Spirit, namely me, can only be spiritual, perfect. And this was the reality of my being, despite appearances to the contrary, I knew. I credit the inspiration gained from these truths with my restoration to complete freedom from the discomfort.

Then last spring every one was talking about how prolific poison ivy was this year and people were being warned to steer clear of it. I realized the importance of not opening thought up to suffering this time around, and began applying some of the truths I knew from my study of Christian Science, as a preventive measure. I prayed from the Christly standpoint of man's exemption from disease due to his eternal unity with God. I realized the reassuring fact that as divine reflection, we enjoy uninterrupted protection from mortal mind fears and false beliefs and the attendant suffering.

It dawned on me when the neighbor I mentioned earlier was telling me about how careful she had been while gardening, to wear long sleeves, gloves, long pants, and had still caught the poison ivy, why I've gone all summer, been in woods countless times with our dogs, even been unexpectedly dragged through thickets with the feared plant when the chase was on for a cat or rabbit or squirrel and not been affected at all.

I can't express enough thankfulness to Mary Baker Eddy for what she has given the world of God's healing truths which she and so many others before me have proved. I feel so blessed. As the Bible brings out, God does give His angels charge over us and they do keep us in all our ways.