Here in the South, everyone seems to have pollen allergies in the spring and fall. The problem is heavily advertised in the media and constantly discussed in public. The pollen is everywhere; your car turns yellow, even the streets turn yellow.

Last spring, for the first time I experienced all the symptoms of a pollen allergy. I had a real struggle with it. While praying for healing, it occurred to me that I didn’t have to fear or dread the pollen season. Pollen serves a useful purpose in nature and is, as an element in spiritual creation, an idea of God. Every object and subject of God’s creation has its own function to perform, and one useful idea (the pollen) cannot interfere with another idea (me). This came to me so clearly. It’s made it easier for me to be grateful for the pollen and to respect its place in the overall scheme of things.

Another thought I had in relation to the pollen was Jesus’ response when Pilate asked him, “Knowest thou not that I have power to crucify thee, and have power to release thee?” Jesus replied, “Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above” (John 19:10, 11). Likewise, pollen could have no power to hurt me, or anyone, because God never gave any person or thing power over His spiritual creation.

I wanted to share these insights in the event it might be helpful to someone else. They’ve helped me overcome much of the suffering associated with pollen.

D. G-M

This account was originally published in the September 2009 issue of the Christian Science Journal.

A couple of years ago I was at an outdoor swimming pool with my family. I put on my swimsuit in the changing room and began to walk out to the pool. Although the floor had several pads for sure footing, I stepped on a section that was not covered, and I slipped and fell on the wet floor. Immediately on falling down, I declared in my thought that “accidents are unknown to God . . . ,” a quote from page 424 of Science and Health by Mary Baker Eddy. After a moment I was able to get to my feet and swim with my family; however, I had a nagging pain in my back from the fall.

After I got home the pain became more severe, and that night I could not sleep well. The next morning I called a Christian Science practitioner for prayerful help. I was able to make it through my day at work, but was still in pain. The next evening I was reading Science and Health and came upon this phrase: “. . . the unbroken reality of scientific being” (p. 494). The phrase was enough for me to hold on to—that as a spiritual idea of God, my being could not be overstretched or broken in any way. That same night I felt a movement in my back, and when I woke the next morning I was completely free.

Until recently I used to ask myself why I felt I could not always hear God speaking to my thought at moments when I reached out for divine comfort. But now I’ve gained a new appreciation for the different ways in which the Word of God speaks to us, meeting our direct need. Whether in the form of a favorite Bible passage, a phrase from Science and Health, or a well-loved hymn, these inspirations do come to us in thought just when we need them. Then the need is met, and, as Mrs. Eddy phrased it, “ ‘The Word was made flesh.’ Divine Truth must be known by its effects on the body as well as on the mind, before the Science of being can be demonstrated” (Science and Health, p. 350).

I am extremely grateful for Christian Science. When we trust in God, Love, it never fails us.

A.L. (originally published in the November 7, 2011 issue of the Christian Science Sentinel)

One of my favorite things to do when I wake up before anyone else is to go downstairs and draw pictures—I love to draw! One morning I was also thinking some angel thoughts about God, and I wrote them down for you. This is what I wrote: “I love God and God loves all of us. He loves me and my family and your family, too. We love to know about God and His love for us all. And we know how to handle bad thoughts because we love to learn about God. I love God so, so much, and I never stop loving God. And God never stops loving us!”

I can also tell you about how feeling God’s love for me healed me. One time last year, I was jumping on the trampoline, and I fell, and my leg hurt bad. My dad and my sister helped me pray. They went inside with me, and we sang some hymns together. I remember singing my new favorite—Hymn 444. It told me that I was “governed by Love,” and “safe and secure.” The whole verse said:

Innocent one, sinless and pure
Nothing can ever divide thee.
Governed by Love, you’re safe and secure;
I am forever beside thee.
So rest and know wher-e’er you go,
Home and heav’n cannot be denied thee.
For I am the Lord, there is none else;
There is no God beside Me.

Then I felt like I was protected in God’s arms. Suddenly I felt better. My leg stopped hurting. In that moment I was healed!  After that I had a great time jumping on the trampoline again.

G.L. (Age 8 when first published in the March 14, 2011 issue of the Christian Science Sentinel)

Last year, I began to experience intermittent pain in the lower part of my body, particularly in the pelvic and hip areas. The discomfort eventually became so aggressive that it virtually immobilized me. Standing and moving around for hours at a time, which is part of my daily work routine, became nearly impossible.
As a lifelong Christian Scientist, I’d learned through many experiences that I could totally depend on God for healing. I knew that the only way to a permanent resolution of this challenge was through gaining a clearer understanding of the spiritual fact that God made all in His image and likeness, and by discerning that His law of harmony applied to me right then. This law would also lead me to the specific healing truths I needed.
I prayed for many weeks. Although it was still difficult for me to move normally, I persisted in my prayers. I knew that God loved me as His very own, and as I continued to reach out to Him for direction, one day this verse from Isaiah came to my thought: “Shall the thing framed say of him that framed it, He had no understanding?” (29:16). As I reasoned with this idea, I became increasingly aware that my framework was not a physical body at all—as the material senses would have me believe—but the complete and perfect creation of God, Mind. I was supported not by bones, muscles, ligaments, and tendons, but by the strength and permanence that I reflect from my Maker, God.
Then I decided to look up any references that Mary Baker Eddy might have made to the word frame, and found this passage in her book Rudimental Divine Science: “You must learn to acknowledge God in all His ways. It is only a lack of understanding of the allness of God, which leads you to believe in the existence of matter, or that matter can frame its own conditions, contrary to the law of Spirit” (pp. 10-11). The Christian Scientist, she continued, “… never introduces the subject of human anatomy; never depicts the muscular, vascular, or nervous operations of the human frame.”
That was the answer I needed. I had a firm conviction that God was unfolding these truths to me, and that they applied directly to what seemed to be a debilitating bodily condition. In God’s allness, matter could neither structure nor influence the true essence and nature of His creation—our spiritual individuality—and certainly had no power to form harmful conditions.
With this realization, I was healed that very day. My fear of being immobile or unable to perform my normal functions dissolved. The pain vanished and has not returned. I’ve been able to walk and stand freely as I’d always done.
I’d learned once again that to gain dominion over the belief in a power apart from God brings healing. How increasingly grateful I am for this logical and conclusive Science—the truths of which are always available when we listen for and follow Mind’s direction.

L.T.

First published in the October 2007 issue of the Christian Science Sentinel

In February 2007, I traveled with an artist friend to a remote river cottage for a weekend of “plein-air painting,” or painting outdoors in a natural setting. We were to be joined by other artists the following day.

Arriving late in the afternoon, we carried our luggage and painting equipment inside. After getting settled, we decided to drive into the nearest town to eat dinner.

It was dark by this time. While walking to the car, I tripped and fell headfirst over a low brick wall that wasn’t lighted. As I landed on the concrete driveway, my nose received the full impact of the fall, and my left wrist felt as if it had been injured.

Immediately, I began to pray, mentally insisting that I’d never been separated from God and that no circumstance could interfere with my perfect reflection of Him. I also declared firmly that “accidents are unknown to God,” based on concepts I’d studied from Science and Health, and that God is always in control and His plan includes only good (see p. 424).

My friend was directly behind me when I fell and was very frightened. She wanted to know what she could do to help, and I asked for some towels, since I was bleeding. As she went into the house, I continued to lie still, and the next thought that came to me was, “This is going to make a great testimony.” “Well,” I thought, “That’s very encouraging. I must be expecting a complete healing!”

My friend sat with me in the driveway until I was ready to go into the cottage to lie down on the sofa. She then asked if I needed anything for pain or if I wanted to go to a hospital for emergency care. I realized I wasn’t experiencing any pain, and explained that I’d always had good results by praying for healing through relying on Christian Science as a means of healthcare. My friend respected this and offered to drive me home, but I assured her that if I was not all right by morning, my husband would be happy to come and get me.

I was awake for most of the night, and I studied many statements of truth from Science and Health. I prayed to know that in reality I was “unfallen, upright, pure, and free,” and that I’d never fallen from my “high estate”—my heritage as God’s child (see Science and Health, pp. 171, 258). Gaining confidence through these prayers, I was able to face and defeat the fear that I’d be left scarred or disfigured from the incident, or even penalized for not going to a doctor for stitches.

The most important part of my prayers was my firm resolve not to allow the moment of impact on the driveway to replay itself over and over in my thought. Every time the scene tried to repeat itself, I firmly said, “No,” and instead began to pray with “the scientific statement of being” from Science and Health, and also with the Daily Prayer from the Manual of The Mother Church (see Science and Health, p. 468; Manual, p. 41). At times, it felt as if I was waging war against these aggressive thoughts about injury and accident, but I knew that God’s love was stronger than pain or fear.

By the following morning, my face wasn’t swollen anymore, and I felt better. Joining the group of arriving artists, with a bandage on my nose, I was able to participate in the weekend of painting. When the artists found out about what had happened, several commented that I was going to be very black and blue. But I silently rejected this idea as not having the support of spiritual law. Therefore, I didn’t have to accept it as fact. Any discoloration I had on my face soon faded.

My friend and I returned home two days later. For the first time, I began to have pain in my ribs, and breathing deeply was difficult. My wrist and my nose were healing beautifully, so I was disappointed to suddenly be confronted with this challenge to a complete healing. For several days, the problem got worse, and my husband became concerned.

Inspiration led me to pray by considering part of the description of serpent in the Glossary of Science and Health. It reads, in part, “the first lie of limitation” ( p. 594). That struck a chord with me, and I realized I’d been struggling for some time with a sense of financial limitation. It wasn’t that I was lacking anything necessary, but I had several investments that were not doing well, and for me this situation had been painful to think about. But right then, I realized that I didn’t have to be influenced by the “serpent thought” that my security depended on a personal ability to create income. Shortly after this revelation, the pain in my ribs stopped, and my breathing became normal.

My husband, who is new to the study of Christian Science, was very moved by this complete healing. We’re both very grateful.

D. G-M.

This testimony was originally published in the Sept.1, 2008 issue of the Christian Science Sentinel.

How very grateful I am for a harmonious and trouble-free childhood in a home where Christian Science was studied and for a religious education in a Christian Science Sunday School! The spiritual truths taught there have maintained and sustained my family and me for many years.

In the Bible we read ( Ps. 37:23), “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord.” As I look back over our experience of eighteen moves in seventeen years, as an Air Force family, I realize that every step and action we have taken has been directed by God, good. Each move was complete, and adequate housing was provided despite housing shortages. Protection, friends, and right activity always awaited my husband, our four children, and me.

Since the Bible as well as “Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures” by Mary Baker Eddy are our only preachers, I never felt separated from my church, and I found that Truth operates effectively, regardless of one’s geographical location.

Though our physical problems have been few, there is one experience I should like to share. Some years ago, our son, who was then five years old, became stricken with almost complete paralysis. Since my husband is not a Christian Scientist, he took the child to a medical specialist. I accompanied them, calmly knowing that there is in reality one physician only and that one is God, who sees and knows only good. The doctor did not name the malady, but insisted that the child be put in traction and stated that further action would be taken shortly.

The next morning, after my husband left for work, I took the Bible and Science and Health and sat down to study the Bible Lesson, outlined in the Christian Science Quarterly. I affirmed the fact that in truth I had no problem and that my only need and desire was for complete awareness of God’s ever-presence.

As I read the beautiful account of Lazarus and Jesus’ words as he raised him from the dead ( John 11:44), “Loose him, and let him go,” I clearly realized that “every law of matter or the body, supposed to govern man, is rendered null and void by the law of Life, God,” as Mrs. Eddy says on pages 380 and 381 of Science and Health. Then I knew that there is actually nothing to bind or restrict one to inactivity, disease, or death. When I looked at the child, he was sitting up in bed, playing with the books that had been used to weigh down his legs. He was completely well. I am grateful for our many blessings, for class instruction, and for the entire Christian Science movement. It is indeed the religion that meets all our needs.

F.O.  (First published in the October 20, 1962 edition of the Christian Science Sentinel)