Many blessings through Christian Science

Originally published in Bentara Ilmupengetahuan Kristen (Indonesian Herald of Christian Science)

When I learned about Christian Science in the middle of 2005, my life was a mess.

In 1998, my father had passed away, and after that everything went wrong in my family. Our finances deteriorated, and this led to a lot of disputes within the family. I have three older brothers, and one of them was suffering from kidney failure. Not long afterward, another brother was imprisoned because he was involved in a money scam. I could no longer feel the love we used to express for each other as a family. On top of that, I was jobless, and my relationship with my boyfriend was in jeopardy. I felt desperate and even thought of ending my life because I felt the burden was too heavy for me. I abandoned the thought, however, knowing that it would only cause more sadness to my mother.

One day I told my boyfriend about my problems, and he suggested that I pray. I told him I had been praying, but there had been no change in my situation. Then he asked me how I prayed. I answered that I poured out all my problems to God and asked Him to help me overcome them. My boyfriend then explained what he understood about prayer in his study of Christian Science. He said that God is all-knowing, that He is Love, and created all very good. What I needed to do was to accept in my heart the thought that God is Love. He is the only Cause and Creator, and therefore, all that really exists is good.

I thought my boyfriend’s explanation sounded very logical, and I wanted to learn more about Christian Science. So I asked him to take me to his church. He took me to a Wednesday evening meeting, where I heard people giving testimonies of healings through Christian Science. I became more interested and was convinced that the teachings of Christian Science could be practiced in my life, too. Since then, I’ve attended the services at the local Christian Science church regularly and practiced Christian Science daily.

For years I’d suffered from migraines and took medicine every day to ease the headaches. At the time I was not thinking about healing. I read the Indonesian Herald and Science and Health because I was interested in its teaching. I was enjoying the ideas I was reading, and I soon found myself healed of the headaches.

Also, I’d worn glasses since I was in the fourth grade, and my eyesight continued to deteriorate into adulthood. In college I couldn’t see what was written on the board without my glasses. As a result, I was very dependent on them, and I found they irritated the back of my ears.

Every Sunday at the Christian Science church service, I liked to follow the sermon by reading along from the full-text edition of the Christian Science Quarterly Bible Lesson, but because my lenses were a bit dark, it was difficult for me to read in church. So one Sunday I decided to take my glasses off during the service and was able to follow without a problem.

I started thinking that maybe it was possible through Christian Science to be totally free from my dependence on glasses. I discussed the matter with my boyfriend, and again, he suggested that I pray. I did just that! It became clear to me that God created me in His own image and likeness, and that His whole creation is “very good” as it states in Genesis. Since God created me as His own image, I was already perfect and did not need anything to aid my eyesight. I strove to know that I was God’s perfect reflection, and had the courage to take off my glasses.

At first, there were times when I doubted whether I really didn’t need glasses. However, every time I doubted, a still small voice reminded me that I was God’s perfect image and likeness, and that I had to have more faith in this fact.

The first time I went to the cinema without glasses, I was afraid that I would not be able to see what was on the screen. As if to confirm my fear, my vision became blurred, I felt ill, and was overwhelmed with panic. But I realized that I had to stop being overwhelmed with the thought of poor eyesight, and I became calmer. I started to affirm strongly that I was perfect because God is perfect. I closed my eyes in the theater to concentrate on prayer and not be influenced by what I saw.

After some time, I realized that I could watch and enjoy the movie—without my glasses. Since then, my vision has remained good, and I no longer need to wear my glasses.

I’ve learned of God’s great and perfect love. Today, I’m a member of The Mother Church and of the local Christian Science branch church. I now have a job as a paralegal in a law firm. Peace has been restored in my family. My brother was released from prison and presently holds a steady job. Even though my other brother passed away, I was able to overcome my grief, knowing that he is forever with our Father, God, who is infinite Love. What blessings the teachings of Christian Science have brought to my life!

Desiree Paramita | Jakarta, Indonesia