Christian Science Sentinel

Climbing the Great Wall was supposed to be the highlight of our trip to China in 2007. Little did I know that it would also be about climbing to a higher understanding of motherhood.

Three or four years ago, I was in the middle of planning a marvelous Mother's Day for my mom. At the same time, I had a gnawing feeling that something was wrong. This exercise in doing all that was expected of me as a daughter wasn't making the relationship any richer, and sure wasn't melting away the feeling that I was disappointed in my mother.

For a long time, I thought I hated my mother. I really wanted to love her and to feel she loved me. But I didn't think that would ever be possible. So I made up my mind to improve our relationship, and it dawned on me that maybe my mother wasn't the only one who needed to change. Maybe I needed to be different.

This testimony is given with the hope that some one who reads it may thereby gain courage to stand firm in God's strength in time of need, for there is no power apart from God.

A few years ago, some months after my husband passed on, our large property, including our home and belongings, was destroyed in one of California’s wildfires. First losing a great companion and lifelong friend, then losing so much in the fire, was overwhelming. Then I remembered that when Jesus healed, he didn’t simply restore people’s old ways and circumstances; lives were made new. 

y heart is so full of gratitude for the many blessings which Christian Science has brought into my life, that I cannot keep my story of God’s love from where it might reach and possibly help others.

Christian Science teaches that we can challenge the limiting notion of an expected decline of strength and vigor. So when I started experiencing knee pain that made it hard to hike, I knew I could have a complete healing through prayer.

I was in the field behind our house digging out invasive vegetation. Suddenly I started feeling stings all over my body. I had dug into a bees nest. Walking back to the house, while swatting the bees and feeling the stinging increase, I felt a spiritual conviction that I had gained the previous day.

Prayer to heal tension and strife with family members also healed a UTI. Peace within the family was restored and there were no more UTI symptoms.

When I asked the Christian Science practitioner for prayer to heal hemorrhoids, I never mentioned my drug addiction. However, after the complete healing I discovered that all desire to use drugs was gone. No willpower was involved—it was the light of the Christ, dissolving the “mist and shadow into Truth’s clear day.”