By Elaina Simpson
From the March 14, 2016 issue of the Christian Science Sentinel
I am grateful for the experiences of healing I have had through studying Christian Science and living the truths I have learned. I have found that when I pray with deep consecration, I find guidance and am protected and healed. Prayer and study have taught me that, in healing, one’s thought needs to be filled with what is true about God and man. This understanding of spiritual truth enables us to triumph over the errors of material sense, including sickness and pain.
About five or six years ago, one day my brother and I were lovingly teasing each other. He playfully punched me in the shoulder a little harder than he meant to. After that, my shoulder never felt totally right. The incident left me feeling discomfort that persisted on and off for the next several years. I was in high school at the time and didn’t give the situation much prayerful thought. I just went about my life.
Then, about a year ago, now a college student, I was playing in my team’s first lacrosse game of the season. Early in the game I fell on my shoulder. I stayed on the ground for a couple of seconds, but I immediately said a firm “no” to the thought of injury. I thought about how I could pray unceasingly, including in that moment (see I Thessalonians 5:17). I firmly denied and denounced the error, the suggestion that I could be injured or in any way separated from God’s love.
My teammates helped me up, and I felt so much love expressed from them. They were all Christian Scientists, and I knew they were supporting me with their understanding of metaphysical truths. A feeling of love and comfort washed over me.
I came out of the game, sat on the sideline, and turned wholeheartedly to God in prayer. I denounced the fear I was feeling. I affirmed that I was the reflection of God, divine Love, always safe in Love, and so this situation had no power to make me fearful.
The next thought that came to me in prayer was to separate the error from myself. I knew the claim of injury was just an error of material sense, that it did not truly belong to me as the spiritual, whole, and complete child of God.
This helped me realize how obnoxious the whole situation was. In Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy writes, “Because God is Spirit, evil becomes more apparent and obnoxious proportionately as we advance spiritually, until it disappears from our lives” (p. 207).
I had recently given some sincere thought to the idea of praying unceasingly and had committed to studying Christian Science more deeply, and I had grown spiritually. It became obvious to me that the discomfort in my shoulder, which had persisted on and off for five years, and which was now seemingly amplified within the first few minutes of my first college lacrosse game, was extremely obnoxious, because it was totally unlike God’s goodness—and that it could disappear from my life.
My family had flown out to visit and were at the game. I was trying out a new sport and enjoying time with my friends. It became apparent to me that this injury was just the carnal mind trying to interfere with my expression of spiritual strength, joy, and love, and that it had no power to do so. This recognition helped me realize that error is nothing, because error, or evil, has no hold on our true spiritual identity.
After the game ended, I was able to pray more deeply. I prayed to know that I am never separate from God and His ever-present love. And I prayed to know that I am never for an instant dislocated from God. This specific idea was helpful to me because it enabled me to apply spiritual truth to my specific situation. I knew there could be no circumstance in which God’s healing love could not be proved to be present and powerful.
I also read the article “God’s Law of Adjustment” by Adam H. Dickey. Mr. Dickey writes: “There is a law of God that is applicable to every conceivable phase of human experience, and no situation or condition can present itself to mortal thought which is outside of the direct influence of this infinite law. The effect of the operation of law is always to correct and govern, to harmonize and adjust. Whatever is out of order or discordant comes under the direct government of God through what may be termed God’s law of adjustment” (The Christian Science Journal, January 1916). I knew I was not excluded from God’s law, because it always was governing me.
The next day, as I was doing my daily activities, my shoulder naturally clicked into place. Later that day I felt some slight pain, but I kept mentally denouncing the material lie of pain and clung to the truth of my spiritual perfection as the reflection of God until the pain left and did not return.
This happened about a year ago, and I only recently realized that I have not even thought of the incident since then, nor in the past year have I felt any pain in my shoulder, which had previously bothered me for years. My shoulder is completely perfect and healed. I am so grateful for Christian Science.
Have a lovely evening,
Elaina
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