“I asked God how to pray about it”

I’d like to relate an instance in which Christian Science helped a friend.

I had plans to get together with a girl friend one weekend, before her family came into town. I knew she had been under stress-of-circumstances of late and I was hoping to be able to help her relax with some girl time and get things off her chest before more was added to her plate. However, she canceled and we rain-checked for Sunday. Sunday came and she said she was not feeling well…actually feeling really terrible. I did not know all the details of her family circumstances, but I knew she was juggling many hats and emotions.

I had an unusually strong and overwhelming desire to just be there for her: bring her food, make her a cup of tea, tell her it was going to be alright, and release some of the weight from off her shoulders. But, I couldn’t do any of those things because she was holed up in her house feeling miserable and I couldn’t barge in to help. I felt that I just had to do something though, and that’s when I asked God how to pray about it. I knew I couldn’t give her a treatment, but also knew that this desire to help was a desire of Love. It didn’t come from me and could not be limited to my physical presence or bringing her a cup of soup. I realized that the desire to give, support, and nurture was all from God. Therefore He was already at her bedside supporting, caring and loving her with the real Father-Mother Love—which was all I wanted her to feel.  I prayed along those general lines (understanding that God was already doing what I felt impelled to do) until the desire to bring her a coffee (her favorite) left.

The next day she said she was better, and that she didn’t understand, “but it just went away!” She also mentioned that she had expected it to last 2 to 3 days before recovering, but mysteriously she was fine and able to prepare her house for her family’s arrival that night. I mentioned to her that I had prayed a bit for her because I felt it was right and important to tell her. Even though she didn’t know about Christian Science she thanked me and said she thought it had helped. I was pleased!

As an interesting follow up to this instance, a couple weeks later we were talking about prayer and healing. I mentioned, “Remember when you weren’t feeling well a couple weeks ago?” And she didn’t remember, I had to jog her memory because she had completely forgotten! And I said, “Well, that’s what healing does, you forget you were ever sick!” That just felt like a great conclusion and lesson for me. It is coming to me more and more how to react and think when friends bring me their issues, or when their issues are so blatant that  “something must be done!” and I am grateful to learn how to help through Christian Science and that Christian Science enables me to help in the best possible way.