How could I keep from singing?

I would like to share a healing I had one Sunday morning on my way to church. As I was getting into my car, I realized I needed to check on something before leaving. When I stood up to get out of my car, the door shut on the finger. (I refer to it as the finger because a practitioner once pointed out that the body doesn’t belong to me: I don’t own it, because I am a spiritual idea. When referring to the body, she always used the, not my or your. I found this very helpful.)

The car door latched with the hand in it, so I opened the door with the other hand. After removing the hand from the door and getting into the car, I was in extreme pain. Immediately, this thought came to me, “Go higher,” so I did. Then the third verse of Hymn 533 in the Christian Science Hymnal came to me:

I lift mine eyes, the clouds grow thin;
I see the blue above it.
And day by day this pathway smooths
Since first I learned to love it.
The peace of Christ makes fresh my heart,
A fountain ever springing;
All things are mine since I am God’s.
How can I keep from singing?

I pondered this verse and felt I was lifting my eyes (“spiritual discernment”) to God. And I knew I could see above the problem. I thanked God for the many times I had experienced His care through learning and choosing this wonderful path, which I so loved. Of course, this peace of Christ made fresh my heart (made it ever new). The fountain ever springing was to me the unlimited, uninhibited source of all Good that never ceases its giving. It was for me and everyone, since as His children, we belong to God. I could never be less than perfect, for I knew I couldn’t ever leave that perfect state of being. With this joy of knowing what is true, why wouldn’t I want to sing? And I did sing this beautiful hymn—right there, in my driveway.

This long account happened quickly. In moments, I was completely free from pain. On my way to church, I kept thanking God for taking care of me, as He always has. I arrived at church inspired and full of light, so grateful for another opportunity to glorify Him! As I listened to the readings from the desk, I felt so at peace. Every word spoke to me, verifying my perfection. The healing was complete, and I had no negative effects from the incident.

Affliction purifying and elevating man

On a Sunday morning this March, I was up early preparing for Sunday school when the fire alarm went off, repeatedly blaring FIRE! FIRE! FIRE! I was grateful there was no fire, but in getting up to check it out, I realized something was physically off. Although there was no pain, there was severe hemorrhaging. Because the word fire had been so insistent, I went to the definition of fire in the glossary of Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures. What stood out was the last phrase, “affliction purifying and elevating man” (Science and Health 586:13–14). Knowing I’d been given a promise and spiritual standpoint for praying, I felt peace.

I found a substitute for my class and was able to continue to work for myself and patients on Sunday and Monday, although I needed to remain still. On Monday evening, however, I called a Christian Science practitioner as the symptoms hadn’t abated and my husband and I were scheduled to leave for the airport early Wednesday morning to help our son and daughter-in-law with a move. (The passages from the practitioner didn’t come through, but we later discovered we had been working along the same lines.) By Tuesday afternoon the symptoms had stopped, the practitioner was released, and we went to bed, packed and ready for the trip.

Later Tuesday night, different, aggressive symptoms appeared. I couldn’t get out of bed to study, but spent much of the night clinging to/praying with/insisting on these two powerful spiritual facts: God is my Life and the law of my being, and “God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all” (I John 1:5). From a previous healing, many years ago, I had learned to cling to the light and sense of God’s presence, allness, and power, and to refuse to give in to any dark thoughts, symptoms, or fears.

Sensing the challenge, my supportive and prayerful husband quietly cancelled our flights. Like Jacob, I was still wrestling with some error, but was freer by morning. By Wednesday evening I was free enough that, through prayer, we were led to proceed with the trip. My husband rebooked the flight for Thursday afternoon. (Unbeknownst to me, he also made arrangements for a wheelchair at the airport in case I needed extra support; gratefully, I did not need it.)

I am grateful for the healing, for yet another proof of God’s ever-present Love, for my husband’s practical unflappable support, and for being able to help our son and daughter-in-law with cleaning, unpacking, and painting. Since that reassuring promise from the glossary, I’ve become much more aware of, and receptive to, the many quiet (and not so quiet) ways God speaks to us, prepares our thought, guides us, and provides whatever is needed—prepares a table for us in the presence of our enemies—to carry us onward and upward through challenges. This healing affirms once again, “Ah Lord God!…there is nothing too hard for thee” (Jeremiah 32:17).

A tangible sense of divine Love’s presence

One day last spring, I was mowing the lawn wearing a short-sleeved shirt. It was one of the first warm days we’d had, with lots of blue sky and sunshine. That evening both my arms started to itch. I didn’t appear to be sunburned, but that night it was difficult to sleep because of this irritation. I attempted to treat the issue in Christian Science, but the problem persisted for another three days or so and then stopped. Not long after that, I was back in the sun with my arms exposed. The same thing happened. I again attempted to meet the problem in Christian Science. After three days, the problem again subsided, but it came right back the next time my arms were exposed to the sun. This pattern continued a few more times until l decided to simply wear a long-sleeved shirt to avoid dealing with the issue. At the time, I felt there were more urgent matters to deal with.

Then in June, my wife passed away, which was devastating. I felt lost, even abandoned. But this passage from Science and Health came to me and coaxed me back onto a better track of thought: “‘man’s extremity is God’s opportunity.’…Thus He teaches mortals to lay down their fleshliness and gain spirituality. This is done through self-abnegation. Universal Love is the divine way in Christian Science” (Science and Health 266:14–19).

It was clear to me that I wasn’t going to make it through this experience by trying to keep a stiff upper lip. Self-abnegation was the way, dropping the sense of myself as a mortal man left to work it all out on my own and trusting instead that I really was the man God made, forever embraced in His love and guided by His wisdom. I surrendered completely to divine Love.

This statement from Science and Health took on deeper relevance to me: “Thus it is with man, who is but the humble servant of the restful Mind, though it seems otherwise to finite sense” (Science and Health 119:31–1). This helped me see that my sole reason for being was to express God and humbly trust His ever-present goodness and love. As Mrs. Eddy declares, “Man is tributary to God, Spirit, and to nothing else. God’s being is infinity, freedom, harmony, and boundless bliss” (Science and Health 481:2–4).

One evening not long after my wife passed, I was overwhelmed by a tangible sense of divine Love’s presence I had not experienced before. I literally felt embraced by Love, assuring me that I was loved and cared for and that even now my wife was also dearly loved and cared for. We had not been abandoned. I was grateful beyond words for this powerful reassurance and evidence of God’s all-encompassing presence and love.

After this experience, I saw more evidence of Love’s goodness expressed in acts of kindness by friends and fellow church members and by the indispensable help my son provided during this time. We organized an event with neighbors, church members, her family, and many of her students and former colleagues in attendance. It was a joyful time where those present shared their gratitude and love for the many ways she had enriched our lives, eclipsing any sense of sorrow or loss.

In early September, I was invited to a college soccer game to see the grandson of two dear church members play goalie for his team. It was a beautiful late summer day with not a cloud in the sky. I was sitting on the bleachers soaking up the sun’s rays and wearing a short-sleeved shirt. The soccer game lasted about two hours, but I was loving God and the people I was with so much that I wasn’t the least bit concerned about this latest exposure to the sun. That night, there was no hint of itching or discomfort, nor has there been any since.

My “bonus” healing

Last year I was so, so, so happy to be able to report a healing of two long-standing physical problems: attacks of pressure and pain in my torso that had gone on for ten years or so, and frequent painful stomachaches that occurred numerous times a week for five years. (See Association fruitage, July 7, 2025, “Basking in God’s love heals long-standing pain.”)

I specify these time periods to remind myself that conditions that had seemed to be just a part of my life and would never be healed are now completely gone. In March of 2024, a particularly aggressive version of the torso pain occurred, and after a month or two of working with a practitioner, both problems vanished.

Here are two ideas from the practitioner that were especially prominent in this healing:

1. Learning to practice spiritual composure, in not being mentally/emotionally pushed around by symptoms and pain. I worked to maintain a calm and exalted thought, no matter what the body was saying.

2. Understanding a bit more that it’s not me trying to do/receive healing. In fact, as Mary Baker Eddy wrote, “The ‘I’ will go to the Father when meekness, purity, and love, informed by divine Science, the Comforter, lead to the one God: then the ego is found not in matter, but in Mind. . . ” (Miscellaneous Writings 195:31–2).

This was all healed in the spring of 2024. About a year later, I suddenly realized that a claim of constipation, which had gone on for 40 years, had also completely disappeared, with no specific prayer. The body is now quiet and normal.

So grateful for this side effect of the healing work!

Harmonious transition to a new factory

This past summer, I suddenly learned that the factory I use for my small business was closing later in the month. It was a total shock. Everything was very confusing, and the factory owner was not very communicative. I called a practitioner to pray with me, and worked to know that divine Mind was governing us all—the owner, the employees at the factory, and the customers.

The owner had given me the email address of another customer. At the time, I deemed this unsolicited information to be not very useful. But eventually, I was inspired to send an email to this other customer asking if we could talk on the phone. He kindly agreed to talk, and suggested that I fly down to the factory that evening, which I did. This was not something I had been encouraged to do by my other contacts at the factory, but it was definitely the right thing to do. While I was there, I was able to meet the owners of a nearby factory that had hired one of the employees of the old factory and was willing to work with his former customers. I was also able to make sure all my materials were correctly labeled for the transition to the new factory.

This transition was much, much less disruptive than I ever could have imagined, and I know that is because God was guiding each person involved. I am very grateful for God’s guidance—and that I followed it!

Out-of-joint hip healed

I was vacationing with my husband in February. We were walking around a historic site when, all of a sudden, I couldn’t walk without a lot of pain. Right before that happened, I had been feeling annoyed at some fellow tourists who didn’t seem to be heeding the signage asking for quiet and respectful behavior. And when I had seen a tourist with a cane, I had thought something like this: Gosh, it seems hard to be walking around with a cane here. I’m glad I don’t need to use one. Recalling these thoughts, I realized that my thoughts were rather out of joint.

I texted a practitioner, and worked to correct my thoughts about the other tourists and the false claims about myself—that I was capable of unloving or unscientific thoughts and that I was a compilation of material elements that could malfunction at random.

My husband was very loving and supportive as I slowly limped around. We changed our plans that day to minimize walking. Even though I was still struggling to get around, it felt right to try snorkeling with manta rays, a non-refundable activity we had booked a month in advance. As I was snorkeling, I was affirming that Christian Science treatment is effective and that I could trust that this imposition was really not a part of me, however aggressive it seemed. I was grateful that I was able to snorkel comfortably and that afterwards I could move with a little less pain. That night, I was really grateful that I had been able to get in and out of the boat for snorkeling without trouble. I trusted that I would be able to see that the healing was complete.

Well, the next morning I woke up completely free of the claim! That day we had planned to go on a steep and rigorous hike, but the day before I had assumed that hiking would not be possible. Now I felt so free that I suggested we go on the hike. Not only was I able to hike without pain, but I felt so full of vim and vigor that I hiked much faster than usual! With every step up and back, I kept saying “Thank you, God.” We even finished the hike just before heavy rain began. I am so grateful for this wonderful and complete healing!

Pet dog healed of restlessness

One evening this spring, our sweet dog was acting unusually restless. Normally she goes right to bed when we do, but instead she kept pacing around. My husband took her outside, thinking she might need to relieve herself, but that was not the case. I was a bit concerned and texted a practitioner. I tried to pray myself, but kept feeling worried. My husband and I eventually fell asleep. But when I woke up at 3:00 a.m., our dog was still restless.

I recalled that a practitioner once suggested that I sing hymns to her when she seemed restless. I had done that when we first adopted her, and it definitely had a healing effect. I took her into the bathroom so I wouldn’t wake up my husband, and sang hymns to her, including “Mother’s Evening Prayer” by Mary Baker Eddy. At some point, I realized the hymns were calming my thought, which was what was most needed.

Our dog soon lay down for the first time in hours. I was so grateful! However, I was cold on the bathroom floor. I wondered if we could relocate without her getting restless again. I trusted that the healing was complete, so I went with her to our guest bed, where she settled right in and went to sleep. Thank you, God!

A dislocated shoulder put in its right place

The morning before Thanksgiving this past year, I awoke with a very painful shoulder that was almost impossible to move. Within a few minutes it became very clear that somehow the shoulder had become dislocated.

Since we were hosting several families for Thanksgiving dinner, I became concerned about how all this would work. In hindsight, I must admit I had just made my first error in believing that it would take time to treat this claim, and as I was the sous chef and co-host, I would have to work around it until I had time to address it metaphysically. The second error was that since I was the only Christian Scientist in my family, if I took time out to address the claim, others would notice, typically with comments. So I figured out a way to reduce the discomfort and pressed on. The prep work and the dinner went well, with no one other than my wife noticing I was not fully functional.

After everyone left that evening, I retired to my office for some prayerful work. On my desk was a printout of an article entitled “In Our Right Place” by Richard H. Strain (Journal, February 1965). I had started to study the article before the holiday, when I been listening for guidance regarding the right places for my wife and me now that we were both retired. Out of curiosity, I picked it up and continued to read.

The article was fascinating. It focused primarily on careers, communities, and homes, but as I read it this time, I saw that the well written discussion about God leading us into right places also applied perfectly to my shoulder. As God’s complete, perfect, compound spiritual idea, no aspect of my being could ever be out of place in any shape, time, place, or situation. This thought came through so clearly that I had to reread the article several times to make sure I wasn’t misreading its subject matter. I wasn’t—the moment I refocused my thought on the permanence, perfection, and completeness of my spiritual being, the text of this article now addressed ALL aspects of my being, including my shoulder, never being anywhere but in its right place.

I don’t think I had been reading the article in this expanded application for more than 10 minutes when I felt my shoulder gently and painlessly sliding into its “right place.” In fact, I could hear it click back together. I immediately had full mobility of that arm, and within several hours any remaining discomfort had totally disappeared.

While I was most grateful for the physical healing, I must admit that two other lessons from this healing carried the most learning. First, there is no time dimension to any healing that can preclude us from addressing it right here and right now. In Christian Science healing, we are not going through some complex changes or refitting to make things right again—our healing work is focused solely on seeing what has always been true. No time is needed to see and know the truth. After all, how long does it take to know that 2 + 2 truly does equal 4?

Second, I can never be the only Christian Scientist in any situation—God is infinite All and ever here! Hymn 53 in the Christian Science Hymnal clarifies this further:

Everlasting arms of Love
Are beneath, around, above;
God it is who bears us on,
His the arm we lean upon.

He our ever-present guide
Faithful is, whate’er betide;
Gladly then we journey on,
With His arm to lean upon.

From earth’s fears and vain alarms
Safe in His encircling arms,
He will keep us all the way,
God, our refuge, strength and stay.

While I am always grateful for some good pie at Thanksgiving, this year I must admit our meal was much deeper and far more fulfilling than planned. But yes, the pie was pretty good, too!

A clearer vision of God’s gentle presence

Last summer, working in my garden, I picked up a potted plant and a stalk from the plant poked directly into my eye. Pain and fear flooded in. But I had had a couple of very definitive healings in the past year, so when those feelings arose, I was also convinced that this situation was not as it seemed.

I knew it was important to strenuously resist the claim of accident, which was simply a mental assertion that there was a moment or circumstance when I had been separated from God. A few days before, I had gained great inspiration by thinking of the presence of God’s gentle presence. Until then I had not truly embraced the fact that God’s infinity and supremacy are with me, right here and now. So my first prayerful step was to assert Love’s presence.

I made the decision to be steadfast, not to yield to fear, and to stay cheerful for my family. We had planned to go swimming at a nearby pond, so on the drive there, I sat in the back seat quietly and continued praying. I had brought a copy of Science and Health with me, but my vision was blurry, so it was hard to read. I remembered reading a testimony of a woman whose eyes were so bad that she could only read one sentence of Science and Health at a time. She wrote, “Having finished a sentence I would lay the book down and think it over, trying to come to a conclusion as to whether or not I could accept it as true…Every time…I came to the conclusion that what I had read was the truth” (Anna S. van Leeuwen, Journal, March 1918).

And she was healed.

I decided to adopt her method. I read a sentence and really prayed with it before moving on to the next one. And I kept doing that, not yielding to discouragement.

The physical condition did not change much that afternoon or evening. My eye was sore and my vision blurry. But at a certain point, the fear subsided somewhat. I realized that, apart from the thought of accident, I had to handle thoughts of irritation in my relationships with some people close to me, to be honest about what I was seeing in others. Then I did my best to turn all my thoughts about others over to God, asking God to show me what She was seeing of each person’s nature.

When I awoke the next morning, the condition of the eye was much the same, but my thought was different. I thanked God for Her presence, and asked humbly what I needed to know. Very quickly, this verse from Hymn 66 came to me: “Thou, Soul, inspiring—give us vision clear, / Break earth-bound fetters, sweep away the veil, / Show the new heaven and earth that shall prevail. / Alleluia! Alleluia!”

On its surface, this seemed too simple: obviously, I was in search of clear vision for my eye. But as I thought about it, the verse gave me the spiritual depth I had been seeking. The vision I yearned for was not a physical thing at all, but a clear perception of God’s ever-harmonious universe, including me and all the people in my life. Christian Science is what “sweeps away the veil” of a so-called life in matter and reveals the “new heaven and earth” that in fact is right here, where we are. It always has been and always will be. And just as the hymn ends with “Alleluia! Alleluia!,” so it seemed absolutely fitting that I should rejoice in all that God has done.

I took my morning walk, praying along these lines all the way, feeling joy, gratitude, and a renewed sense of brotherly love. By the time I got home from my walk, the soreness in the eye had diminished substantially, and by the next morning it was back to normal.

Even more than the physical relief, I was so grateful for the fresh understanding that I need to watch my thought closely. At many points during the day, I ask myself, “What are you seeing?” If the answer is political strife, other people’s faults, environmental catastrophe, or any other of the myriad claims of mortal mind, then I know I can turn my thought to God’s gentle presence, and that this thought is not just comforting, but powerful, healing, and joy- and life-giving.

The claim of discomfort just dropped away

I am most grateful for a healing that took place on a recent excursion. I was visiting my brother and his family in New Zealand. It was early in the trip, and one of my hips began to bother me. This was concerning because I was on this trip with my grown son and daughter, and they were hoping to go on a series of hikes in that very scenic and hilly country.

Then this mode of thought came to me: There is no location, no history, no story, nor cause for this suggestion of pain or discomfort, so don’t probe to look for any of those descriptors. (I don’t recall where I found this idea—maybe in a JSH-online article or a Sentinel Watch episode—but I have found it useful when suggestions of discomfort have tried to impose themselves upon me.) I identified myself as the perfect spiritual man of God’s creation and not a material individual who is subject to material so-called laws.

Another helpful thought came from a recent article by Lynn Gray Jackson entitled “Rules for Understanding and Healing.” At the beginning of her piece, she describes how a bird that sees its own reflection in a glass may think it is a rival and attack it. She refers to this imagined enemy as a phantom. She continues, “We may ask ourselves, ‘Do I have a phantom enemy or threat—a false belief, an illusion, something I believe to be existent in my life but that is not real?’ If so, wouldn’t wakening from this false belief to see reality—our perfect relation to God—bring healing?” (Journal, April 2026) I saw that phantom bird situation as a parallel to viewing ourselves (or others) as mortals. This is the phantom man that we are not to be impressed by.

At the end of our trip, I realized that the claim of hip discomfort had just dropped away. I couldn’t have said exactly when, but it was early on in the trip. It was very gratifying to see the power of Truth in action and to have the opportunity to keep thought aligned with God!

Overcoming the drum beat of fearful human opinions

This winter my wife and I went on a trip – four days of skiing in Vermont with our grandson and four days in Puerto Rico with my grandson and his parents. On the first day, I was walking along an icy pathway when my feet went out from under me and I landed flat on my backside. The next day, I was unable to walk without assistance from both my wife and grandson, or to move without a great deal of pain.

I decided to seek help from a Christian Science practitioner. I texted her, she returned my text, and the treatment began. I never actually spoke to the practitioner. The treatment was right on my phone to read, ponder, and apply. Her treatment began with an affirmation, “You’re in Mind, and so is everyone else. All is infinite Mind and its infinite manifestation.”

While I had the full support of my wife, a Christian Scientist, I was also with my teenaged grandson, who is not. He was clearly upset by the picture of his immobile grandfather in pain. Soon he blurted out, “Boppy, you need to see a doctor right now. Let me call one for you.”

Although I was working with a practitioner, I felt pulled by my grandson’s concern. To help him gain some peace, I consented to a “teledoc” visit via Zoom with his family physician. The physician immediately diagnosed the situation and said that a particular medicine would be the best remedy. When he offered to write me a prescription, I responded, “Thank you, but I do not take medication.”

He quickly added that there was nothing more he could do. Then my grandson asked, “What if it doesn’t get any better?” The doctor answered, “Given the age of your grandfather, I would definitely recommend having x-rays taken the next morning.”

The next morning, I could sit up, but moving was still painful. My grandson said, “Boppy, we can drive down to the clinic for an x-ray, it is only 10 miles away.” But I reassured him, “Thank you, but there is no need to go to the clinic, I am feeling better.”

Just two days after my fall, I was able to drive for 3 ½ hours from Vermont to my son’s home in New Jersey. When we arrived, I walked unassisted into my son’s home. All witnessed the progress.

Yet that evening I had to deal with the drum beat of human opinions from my family: Maybe I should have a medical check-up before traveling to Puerto Rico. Then my grandson informed me, “I have made an appointment for you with my sports physiotherapist.”

I responded, “Please cancel the appointment. I have made my decision to continue working with the form of treatment that I have found heals completely.”

On the fourth day, a message from the practitioner cautioned me against believing that I could be a “sounding board” for the opinions of other people. She texted, “A piano string produces its tone when struck by a felt-tipped hammer or when made to undergo sympathetic vibrations; if you sing a note loudly, the piano will ‘sing’ back the same note. But you are not a material object that can be jarred by a direct blow or by some subtle external influence. You are Mind’s idea, Spirit’s manifestation, Truth’s expression. You’re not in sympathy with error. You’re in total accord with the truth of being; you conform to divine impulse.”

I responded, “Love is in control. Being pulled by two points of view—my grandson’s and the practitioner’s—has been treated for what it truly is—error. I am feeling better today, and this is proof for all to see.”

By mid-day my wife and I had not yet decided whether to go to Puerto Rico. We were concerned that our family would be preoccupied with us, which would take away from their enjoyment.

And then Divine Mind made the decision for us. We were not listening to mortal mind (mine, or anyone else’s). We were on our way to Puerto Rico! When the answer suddenly came, my movement improved markedly. I walked through the Newark Airport with no support and no pain—rejoicing. God was in control.

When we arrived in Puerto Rico, our family spent four days walking on the beach and swimming in the Caribbean. I recall floating in the warm ocean water without any effort. I felt embraced and buoyed up by God’s Love.

When I returned home, I resumed playing racquet sports with no impairment and total freedom from pain. This experience showed the unreality of the mortal picture. There was no fall and no effect from error. I am well and always was! Thank you, God. Thank you, Mary Baker Eddy for making this Science so practical. And thank you, dear Christian Science practitioner.

Looking back at this healing, I realize that I struggled with and overcame aggressive mental suggestion, a.k.a. animal magnetism, a topic on which our teacher spent a great deal of time each Association Day. Thank you, Skip!

Turning off the “mortal static”

There was extreme pain and I couldn’t seem to eat. I felt so grateful for the work of a practitioner, because I was having a hard time focusing and praying for myself.

Then one morning in the wee hours, this angel message came: Turn off the video. It’s just “mortal static,” nothing more. And almost immediately Hymn 51, “Eternal Mind, the Potter is,” came to mind. The words of the hymn filled me with peace. All the “mortal static,” or mental interference, stopped.

Then Mary Baker Eddy’s hymn “O’er waiting harp strings” came to thought. I prayed with these two hymns for a couple of hours, basking in their meaning. The “mortal static” was gone, thought was filled naturally with what was true and always had been true.

I was sure that I was in good hands, God’s hands. Now I was able to pray for myself. Complete healing came soon after.

Governed only by God’s law

One day I did a strenuous activity that required some agility. That night I woke up and found that one wrist was extremely painful. The next day I couldn’t use my hand.

As I prayed that morning, these statements by Mary Baker Eddy particularly stood out: “We cannot in reality suffer from breaking anything except a moral or spiritual law….God is the lawmaker, but He is not the author of barbarous codes…. It is man’s moral right to annul an unjust sentence, a sentence never inflicted by divine authority (Science and Health 381:10–12, 15–16, 28).

I reasoned, I am innocent. There is no material cause. God, the only lawmaker, never inflicted pain, so as His image and likeness, pain is not mine to experience.

I went about my day doing things that I needed to do. I was able to do everything without drawing attention to the lack of mobility of my hand.

Soon the pain stopped entirely. The swelling and discoloration disappeared a couples of days after that. A key lesson for me was the conviction that I was governed only by God’s law, not a material law.

Defeat need not follow victory

I seemed to be re-experiencing symptoms of a long-time physical challenge that had been healed decisively a while back. I prayed to know what needed to be addressed.

Then I found the following idea in a Christian Science article: “Mortal mind is arguing the point [that Christian Science doesn’t heal] intensely, widely, specifically. The need is therefore to disagree—to treat the situation metaphysically and consistently with heartfelt conviction.” I realized there wasn’t some part of me that needed fixing. Instead, the issue was a prevalent world thought, aggressively imposing itself. But I knew that what is generally accepted by mortal thought is NOT God’s law, and has no power. God’s law is universally true, the only truth, and is only good. Its opposite has no reality or power.

This verse from The New Testament in Modern English by J.B. Phillips also came to thought: “Don’t let the world around you squeeze you into its own mould, but let God re-make you so that your whole attitude of mind is changed” (Rom. 12:2).

I called a practitioner to work with me. She was only able to work that day as she was going out of town the next day. That seemed just fine.

Here are a few of the ideas the practitioner shared with me: “Defeat need not follow victory” (Miscellany 134:10 only); “The beautiful, good and pure constitute [my] ancestry” (Science and Health 63:5–8); and YES to God, NO to matter!

My thought was so lifted, that the next morning I was breathing freely and able to really concentrate on putting together readings for Wednesday’s service. Complete freedom happened quickly thereafter.