Freed from chest pains and shortness of breath

Reprinted from O Arauto da Ciência Cristã

One day in 2005, while doing some housework, I felt out of breath and had severe pains in my chest. I rested on the sofa, but the discomfort increased, and I began to have chills.

I remembered my father, who had died in my arms while displaying these same symptoms, and I was very afraid.

Christian Science has been my choice for all my health needs for 45 years, and so it was natural for me to turn to God for healing. Since I wasn’t getting any better, my husband called a Christian Science practitioner for help through prayer. He brought the phone over to me so I could talk to her.

With a weak voice I told the practitioner that I felt my heart was stopping. Firmly, yet lovingly, she asked me, “Who said your heart is stopping? Did God say that?” My answer was an immediate “No!” Christian Science had taught me the absolute goodness of God, and I knew that He would never produce anything unlike Him. As soon as I had said “No!” with much vehemence, I noticed that my voice was coming back. I felt the power of God’s love, and my fear started disappearing.

After hanging up the phone, my husband began to sing a favorite hymn from the Christian Science Hymnal to me. The first verse is:

Eternal Mind the Potter is,
And thought th’ eternal clay:

The hand that fashions is divine,
His works pass not away.

Man is the noblest work of God,
His beauty, power and grace,

Immortal; perfect as his Mind
Reflected face to face.

(Mary Alice Dayton, No. 51)

I listened intently to the words and acknowledged that because I was a reflection of God, who is perfect, it was natural for me to reflect the divine perfection in a perfectly functioning body.

My husband also read to me “the scientific statement of being” from Science and Health. It starts with these familiar words: “There is no life, truth, intelligence, nor substance in matter. All is infinite Mind and its infinite manifestation, for God is All-in-all” (Science and Health, p. 468). Praying with these ideas strengthened me. I identified myself as a spiritual idea of God and affirmed that He was and always would be with me.

As I continued with this prayer, the symptoms lessened, and I felt better. My husband had to go out briefly, and as I felt comfortable being alone, I insisted that he go.

Sometime after he’d left, the discomfort suddenly returned. I was able to reach my daughter, who came home right away. She helped calm me down by sharing thoughts about the omnipresence of God. Soon after, my husband came home, too, and I talked with the practitioner again. I realized the need to overcome fear in order to achieve healing. The words of another hymn helped and comforted me. I started to sing it softly:

O dreamer, leave thy dreams for joyful waking,
O captive, rise and sing, for thou art free;

The Christ is here, all dreams of error breaking,
Unloosing bonds of all captivity.

(Rosa M. Turner, No. 202, Christian Science Hymnal)

I realized that God always opens the doors to good and furnishes pure thoughts that eliminate all fear. I fell asleep that night singing this hymn.

When I woke up, the shortness of breath and pain had disappeared. I was very happy to discover that everything was well, and I went to work. I had a calm day, without any problems, and I never suffered from those symptoms again.

I now understand that healing came about when I acknowledged that I was part of the divine creation and reflected divine Life. This and many other healings that I’ve had through prayer give me great joy and strengthen my faith.

Cemilda Schroeder | Joinville, SC, Brazil