Poisonous spider bite symptoms reversed

One day several years ago, while teaching at a public elementary school, I suddenly felt a sharp, painful sting on my neck. One of the teachers identified the insect that fell out of my clothes as a black widow spider. My entire body began itching uncontrollably everywhere at once. Soon after that, I was covered in hives. I became faint, and another teacher helped me to the nurse’s office.

As I was unable to stand or sit up, the school principal called an ambulance. Although this was a caring and natural response, my preference was to care for myself through prayer at home, since I’d relied on Christian Science throughout my lifetime and seen many proofs that it heals.

During all of the commotion and the intense pain I was feeling, I endeavored as best I could to focus on the fact that God, good, was present and helping me. My goal in prayer was to recognize my spiritual selfhood and not look to or watch my body for healing. Another teacher reached my husband by phone, and he immediately called a Christian Science practitioner to pray for me. I thanked the nurse and the principal for their loving concern and reassured them that I was receiving treatment from a Christian Science practitioner. They appeared to be satisfied that something was being done for me.

The school nurse stayed with me while I waited for my husband to come take me home, and she warned me of possible repercussions of not going to the emergency room for treatment. In a few moments I began to feel some of the frightening symptoms she mentioned. But I persisted in prayer, reaching out for ideas to help me feel one with God’s love, and to be free of the fear and pain I was experiencing.

Since the ambulance had been cancelled, the nurse was concerned I might not get the help she was sure I needed. But I felt very confident that this picture of illness was at that very moment being effectively addressed and reversed by my prayers and the prayers of the practitioner. I held to the fact that, as Mary Baker Eddy wrote, “… Principle [God] … is equal to every emergency …” (Science and Health, p. 406). I was also convinced that as God’s image and likeness, my entire being could only reflect health (see Gen. 1:26).

When I got home, I called the practitioner. He calmly quoted from Science and Health, “All of God’s creatures, moving in the harmony of Science, are harmless, useful, indestructible” (Science and Health, p. 514). Then he added, “This is a law to your being, not just a nice sentence.” I continued praying to understand how a spiritual idea could be a law to my being; to feel truly governed by God’s law, not the laws of physicality; and to deeply realize that no insect could cause me harm, since we were both creations of God.

By then the pain and swelling had lessened, though the hives were still very evident.

I really wanted to attend that night’s Wednesday testimony meeting at my church, since the purpose of a Christian Science service is healing. I felt I needed to, and could, take a mental stand for spiritual healing and complete freedom. I was able to go, and I absorbed everything I heard read from the Bible and Science and Health. By the time I got home from church, the hives were completely gone. I slept well that night and returned to school the next day completely free of pain, swelling, and the rash. There was a little pinkness on my neck from the bite for a couple of days, but that, too, soon vanished.

To say I was grateful is not enough. I was in awe of the immediate power of prayer that I’d experienced. Teachers and staff at school were incredulous to see me back so soon and asked a lot of questions. They’d heard that I was a Christian Scientist and wanted to know what I’d done to be healed so quickly from a potentially dangerous insect bite. I explained that I’d prayed for healing with the help of a Christian Science practitioner, and that I’d taken no medication. This led to further sharing about Christian Science with my colleagues. Even some of the students asked me about the healing.

A few days after this incident my principal told me he knew a little about Christian Science, which was why he trusted my decision to go home rather than to the hospital. He also remarked how glad he was that I was fine and back at school so soon.

I’m convinced that practical proof of Christian Science healing really does speak for itself.

Leslie Dill | Petaluma, California, US