Credit Where It's Due

        It wouldn't be difficult for me to fill volumes with all the ways in which God has proved an ever-present help in trouble in our lives.  Any of us who rely on our heavenly Father for help could probably do the same.  But this one incident shines out for me, even after several years now.

        One of our dogs was apparently stung by a spider or some poisonous insect one evening while on our back porch.  It's screened-in, but the insect must have come up through one of the floorboards.  We knew immediately something was terribly wrong with him.  He could scarcely walk and was quite ill it was clear.  We managed to get him up on a bed.  Although we love the veternarian we have who takes care of the legal requirements covering dogs and cats, he wouldn't have been available that late at night, and we didn't want to take our dog to an emergency place we weren't familiar with.

        More than this, we are accustomed to turning to God at once when trouble arises, so my husband and I both reached out for divine aid.  I sat down on the rug next to the bed, and prayed for all I was worth to see the condition unreal, powerless.  John went to his office so he could turn away from the challenging picture while he prayed with his Bible and Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy.

          For me, the human scene was daunting and my fear was nearly overwhelming at first.  But soon, I felt divine Love's presence surrounding us all, and after several hours the dog became quieter, and eventually fell asleep.  To our immense relief the next morning, our dog could get down from the bed under his own steam.  We took him out for a short walk in our woods.  What joy we felt to see him recover so quickly and completely.

        As it happens with most pet owners I would imagine, there have been other episodes where God's help was greatly needed.  Dear, sweet, innocent little creatures are so often quite receptive to treatment in Christian Science we have discovered.  And for what we've experienced in this regard, we give heartfelt credit to the inspired teachings of the Bible and of Christian Science.