Dear Friend,
I’m glad you wrote, and I’m happy to answer your questions.
You are in work most needed in the world today! Don’t for an instant, let mortal mind tempt you to believe otherwise.
If it weren’t for Christian Science, what would you do? Where would you go for help? How would you even begin to find the kind of quality spiritual healing you’ve known over the years?
Do you trust the medical community to solve all problems? Do you believe the medical model has all the answers for health and healing?? I don’t think so. People are dying under medical care every day. Although doctors do their best, and we are grateful for their unselfish service, for the most part they do not know how to save people from the growing number of aggressive diseases spreading throughout humankind.
So, what are the alternatives? It’s Christian Science. Christian Science is the hope of humankind. And you are one of the early pioneers who has caught the vision of Truth sufficiently to help your fellowman through it, and lead the way out of mortal mind darkness into the Light!
All pioneering is tough work. There is nothing simple and easy about it. But it’s fulfilling; it’s exhilarating. It’s extremely rewarding if you stick to it and don’t give up prematurely before the work is finished.
Yes, you and I have much to learn about how to be more effective Christian Science healers. I daily pray and yearn for greater success. But I KNOW beyond doubt that giving up is NOT an option. That would be the ultimate failure, and it would be the ultimate success for evil.
You, as a Christian Science practitioner, bring the hope for humankind! There is no other greater hope than Christian Science. There is no other place for people to inevitably turn except to Truth to find their health and well-being. There is no other system of healing in the world that can do a better job of demonstrating Truth than the system you’re in now.
I encourage you to keep practicing the best you know, love the best you know, and keep responding to those who ask for help the best you know. That is what God asks of you. And keep praying to be a clear transparency for the love of God in the experience of the patient. You will bless every single person who asks you for help.
Patients call you because they sense something in you that can help them. And they are correct. Don’t doubt the hand of Wisdom guiding them. You can help them and will.
Your deep spirituality did your patient great good and she knows it.
As you and I keep growing in our understanding of the supremacy of Good and the unreality of evil, we are able to heal the more difficult cases faster and more ably.
Keep growing! Don’t give up now. I look forward to glowing reports.
Lots of love,
Evan
Thank you Evan. It is so generous of you to open this window into your life and practice. Everything you said is true, and I know it must have healed your friend when she/he heard these words.
This text is also very inspiring for us that study and apply Christian Science in our daily lives. How many times didn´t we feel discouraged facing a hard to solve problem ? But still, giving up the fight and letting grief take place had never been the best alternative. Like in a marathon you may feel tired and willing to stop during the race, but if you raise your thoughts and just keep running, even if in lower speed, you´ll sooner or later reach the line !
Thank you Evan, for sharing your words, always refreshing our spiritual thoughts 🙂
Thank you for your willingness to share these thoughts with us. It is really just what I needed to read. I always say that but its 100% true. I am sure in the early days of Christian Science, healings may have been quicker and it occured to me that, that may have possibly been because there was greater acceptance of the power of God, prayer or Christian healing. These days people are so quick to doubt (I include myself there)and accept the false picture because its seems so powerful and really is so ‘in our face’. It seemed to me (this very afternoon as I was questioning) that when we are facing a big challenge perhaps we need more acceptance, acceptance of the power of God, of the power to “heal all our diseases”, acceptance of the Truth, acceptance of Christian Science. The kingdom of God is here, in all its splendour. We are the reflection of the one perfect God, the practitioners work is done and nothing can change God’s perfect creation BUT do we accept this? Thank you so much and thank you for never giving up on us and sending us all your inspired thoughts 🙂
Thanks Evan! Great thoughts. Just thought I would add that our work is through God – God does the healing and we can trust that work as effective, even if the patient moves on. It simply means their journey is continuing in a form we cannot see. I think about my mom who was to my thinking a dynamite Christian Scientist. She has moved on, but if I for one minute thought the practitioners had failed, I’d be up a creek. I actually have asked some of the practitioners who worked for her for help and had some great healings! So, yep, it is important to trust our work and God’s work!
That is so helpful. I communicate with a lot of people through my blog articles, and most are not Christian Scientists. Most of them have dealt with the medical community, with varying success, as have I in the past. The medical practitioners are wonderful, but even they struggle, wonder, have successes and failures, most are searching for deeper solutions. Your article brings to mind Peter’s comment when Jesus questioned the disciples’ loyalty.:
“Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away?
Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.” John 6.
That”s the answer, which you so eloquently explained above.
Thank You Evan.
This should appear as a Journal article so the whole family of Christian Scientists may be blessed by it.
I went through something of this sort also. God is spiritual, is not a physical being that you can see with the human eye, only because humans are physical beings. Like produces like as MBE brings out. The real man is mental, not physical. The motive to love God and our relationship to him, makes our physical lives better, protects us better, and helps us towards that wonderful revelation that man is not made of Brain, Blood, Bones, but the true reflection of God. When this mortal concept of man “DIES,” it is not the mother or father that we know, or the brother or sister, or our best friend, it is the wrong concept of man that dies. So never give up praying even though you don’t see the results of it. My best friend who introduced me to C/S did that and refuses to study any more. Please don’t follow suit, no matter how hard mortal life is. There is light in this tunnel of material life of strife and war. Always keep that objective in view and you shall WIN!!!
Wonderfully helpful, Evan. I love that you put it out there, in deep trust in our Father-Mother, God, knowing He will take care of it, showing us that this truth is the Fact, for all time.
I think of the early Pilgrims leaving persecution to gain religious freedom in A New Land. Yes, they sure did struggle, and we have so greatly benefitted! Christian Science was discovered in 1866 in the New Land. Now we spiritual pioneers are going forth to claim ALL of it! So worth the struggle, with daily proofs that divine Love, infinite intelligence, is impelling this work.
Gratefully yours.
Thank you Evan and all of the comments.
I do agree with Mell…this should go on the Journal and also be translated into other languages…For sure I could do it into Portuguese.
This is a healing balm to those of us who are tempted to feel worn out in the battle and to doubt that we are really doing any good.
As God told Jehoshaphat through the prophet Jehaziel, “Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God’s.” (II Chr. 20:15) Jehoshaphat was counseled not to fight, but to set himself and see the salvation of God. So must we stand firm, trusting and “setting ourselves” so that the works of God may be seen.
Thank you, Evan, from the bottom of my heart, for your words that speak do directly to me today. Also thanks to Anonymous 5:45 AM for the beautiful and comforting quote from John 6 – so true!
Years ago, the mother of a friend passed on after being supported by a practitioner. My friend expressed discouragement to one of the nurses at the CS nursing home where her mother had been cared for. The nurse replied to the effect: “Don’t believe for one minute that your mother did not gain from her practitioner’s support and prayers. Her passing on is our concept of her leaving us, but it does not mean she did not grow spiritually and gain new views of truth.”
This conversation has always stayed with me, and gave me comfort when my sister passed on too soon. I knew she was seriously studying Christian Science, and could only have made her transition (a transition to our eyes, but not to hers or God’s)knowing she was always in God’s care. Progress is a law of God. She progressed here in this earthly experience and is still progressing.
Kathleen
Thanks so much, Evan. Vary helpful. Also thanks to the person who you wrote the letter to.
Evan, I generally find your posts challenging in a good way, but found this to be very insulting. When someone reaches out to you, your responses are generally thoughtful, but this seemed condescending and while you did not quote the original letter, I feel this response glossed over many, many issues. You’ve repeated over and over that CS is the only option and addressed the medical community as a bunch of fools – Ms. Eddy did not decry the medical community, nor seeking medical details to specifically address prayer. Certainly, in her time, medical care was as likely to kill you as cure you, but things have changed. While I do agree that prayer is vital, this post simply rubbed me the wrong way. I look forward to further posts that may address these concerns.
To above,
I appreciate your sincere response. I’m sorry the post rubbed you the wrong way. I can see how, if you read it from a different point of view than I wrote it, it might be taken wrongly and cause you to see things that were not put there by me.
I have only respect for the medical community. I do not decry their efforts. To state that people are dying under medical care is not to decry their efforts. They would not disagree. It’s the way it is. They do their best. They save many, but many are not saved. And yes, the same happens under prayer-care too. So, no one has the monopoly on perfect healing! But the sole intent of the letter was to help a discouraged practitioner see that her efforts are not in vain. They do make a difference, and to keep on doing it! That’s it. The letter wasn’t meant to address all the other broad, and important, granted, issues you mention.
That’s one shortcoming of blog posts. They are often incomplete in terms of addressing all the associated issues, but as you mention, you look forward to further posts that address those concerns. Thanks for your trust on that account! They will come.
Lots of love
Evan, thank you for the dialogue – I’m the commenter you just responded to – and I think my concern for CS as a whole is that there are simply so many medically preventable deaths among the CS community that it’s appalling. We have lost a multitude of church members “before their time” when medical intervention could have spared them, and I suspect that many would have been more than happy to remain active in the CS community if they were not shunned. Perhaps CS communities vary regionally, but I’ve seen many devoted church members who sought medical treatment alienated by their congregations, or they left because they no longer felt welcome in spite of their continued support of Christian Science. Your letter simply reminded me of the CS blinders. Sometimes we have to look around and do what may not be popular to support those most in need. At least many of them would still be around.
Hello there above! You can add your name to your posts so I have a person to dialogue with… It makes your comments honest!
Yes, everyone has different experiences. What you relate has not been my experience or what I’ve seen around me. I’ve seen quite the opposite in so many ways. Any student of Christian Science in my circle of friends and neighbors who seek out temporary medical aid are loved even more and more so they feel the support they need to get through their trial and come out stronger than ever. I have seen students pass on perhaps “before their time,” but not because the medical could have saved them. The medical perhaps could have extended their mortal life a bit, but usually at great expense in terms of increased suffering and pain because the problem could not be corrected medically, only managed and strung out. So, I refrain from judgment on cases I don’t know all the facts about and trust the individual to make the best decision they can from what they know and learn through their struggle.
But it is helpful to talk about this openly, as you and I are doing, because it helps other people struggling with similar fears and concerns find helpful resolution.
Lots of love,
Evan, I think it’s quite telling that I feel the need to remain anonymous, but “L” would be a safe abbreviation for me. I did attend Principia in the late 90s and saw that it, as well as my home church, were very alienating of any members who chose medical treatment at any point. I realize that churches vary drastically by region as well, and would join the church in Austin, TX in a heartbeat if I could live there again. They seemed most accepting of the branches that I called “home” before I stopped calling them “home.” That was the only one of five CS churches (and Prin) that felt “right.”
Since leaving CS, I’ve heard many stories from others who have left for similar reasons; most of us love(d) and miss the church but do not feel that being a member would be appropriate. How can we come back if we’re judged by our pacemaker, insulin or crutches?
L.
As I think you’ve already figured out, Christian Science will never leave you! Keep on practicing…
Lots of love