Waking up to the truth brought healing

Mary Baker Eddy wrote, “Let us rejoice that we are subject to the divine ‘powers that be’” (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 249). I’ve had many healings in Christian Science to rejoice about, including one that took place in 2005.

That spring, I was traveling on my own in Great Britain, when I began to experience a great deal of internal pain. Some of my normal body functions had ceased, which was very alarming. I’d always successfully relied on Christian Science for healing, so I called a Christian Science practitioner to pray with me. However, the pain and fear seemed to completely take over, especially because I was alone.

I decided to get a flight home to Florida immediately. This was difficult. Then at home I continued to pray for myself, and the pain seemed to come and go. But I felt trapped and helpless. I called another practitioner to pray with me.

Finally, a day later, paralyzed by the fear that there was something seriously wrong, I went to a local hospital emergency room. X-rays were taken, and the examining physician said that I needed “immediate surgery.” Eventually I was told that I had a life-threatening illness.

His announcement of surgery woke me up to see what I really wanted. I knew from studying Christian Science and from my own previous experience that God’s laws heal; that they can be relied on to correct whatever needs to be corrected in our thinking, and that as a result of that correction, the body responds with healing. I reasoned that as a child of God I never had, and never could have, any condition that was unlike His good, pure, harmonious nature.

I decided to rely completely on Christian Science. After one night, I left the hospital with the firm conviction that God does not leave us alone, and that as the Bible says, He is of “purer eyes than to behold evil” (Hab. 1:13). Therefore as His child, I did not have to put up with any evil, unhealthy, or painful condition.

When I got home, I again called the practitioner, who calmly and persistently affirmed in audible prayer my complete exemption from this diagnosis. I felt comforted, and remember thinking of the psalm that says of God, “Thou art good, and doest good” (Ps. 119:68). It affirmed my conviction that He would not afflict me, and therefore I couldn’t be afflicted with any disease or pain.

For the next two days I tried to keep my thought focused on the fact that as God’s likeness I was completely spiritual—living, moving, and having my being in Him (see Acts 17:28). The fear and pain lessened progressively, and on the second day all normal body functions resumed. I felt completely well and thanked the practitioner for her prayers.

A few days later, the pain returned, along with the fear. I called the practitioner to ask her to pray for me again. She said, “There’s only one of you!” I realized right then that I’d been believing I was both material and spiritual, with a physical body that could be dysfunctional and a perfect identity that God gave me. This belief of dualism, of living in both matter and Spirit, was incorrect.

At that point, I saw clearly that my real life, my only life, was in God, Spirit, alone. I knew then that I was completely healed. I was immediately free of pain and fear. And I have remained so ever since.

Sylvia Hill | Santa Barbara, California, US