A month ago, a pain started to develop in the backside of one of my thighs. I gave it a light prayer treatment over the period of a week, figuring that I had more pressing issues to devote my attention too with my patients. But the problem lingered until one night it hit full force and left me incapacitated by morning. I couldn’t turn or move without searing pain. And there I lay in bed unable to move.
I prayed about the situation from every angle I could think of looking for some sign of relief indicating my prayer was headed in the right direction.
I began by declaring the obvious, that I was a spiritual being living a spiritual life reflecting the unlimited, painless, and harmonious activities of Life. I knew I was God’s idea, not a helpless mortal, and God empowered me to be well and free. I knew that Mind governed the body, not matter. I knew that disease was not real and health was permanent.
No improvement was occurring.
So, I defended myself against mental malpractice at large knowing that no evil belief could enter my consciousness, interfere with my harmonious reflection of God and cause me to be less than perfect. There was one Mind influencing my thinking, not many evil minds from unknown places, I understood.
Still, there was no improvement.
At this point, I was impatient about lying helplessly in bed, so I determined to get up and get dressed someway, somehow.
I gently moved a little here, a little there, edged to the side of the bed, eventually got my feet onto the floor and with my wife’s help, made it to a bench where I slowly got dressed. I was listening diligently for an insight that would lead to healing.
Then I saw a glimmer!
I realized that when I made up my mind to move, I moved. The movement was hampered, constrained, and painful, but I did move. I hadn’t consulted the body first to see if I could move. I just made up my mind that I was going to move, and I did.
Whereas earlier, when I’d lie in bed and consult the body first to see whether I could move, I couldn’t. I felt helpless. My mind was filled with debilitating thoughts like, “My leg hurts. I can’t move my leg. I’m stuck. I’m doomed. I’m never going to get well.” And there I lay, helpless as helpless could be.
But when I didn’t consult the body first and made up my mind to move, I moved.
Aha! I’m on to something. I felt.
Mary Baker Eddy wrote, “Muscles are not self-acting. If mind does not move them, they are motionless” Science and Health, p. 199. That was exactly my experience. When I believed I could not move, I could not. When I knew I could, I did.
Eddy also wrote,“Do the muscles talk, or do you talk for them?” Science and Health, p.217. When I listened to my muscles first, I felt pain and determined helplessness. When I consulted mind first, I told the muscles what to do, and they responded.
I knew that Christian Science healing is not human mind control of the body. That leads to worse consequences in the end. It’s understanding divine Mind’s control over the body and yielding to it.
I considered Eddy’s admonition, “The muscles, moving quickly or slowly and impelled or palsied by thought, represent the action of all the organs of the human system, including brain and viscera. To remove the error producing disorder, you must calm and instruct mortal mind with immortal Truth” Science and Health, p. 415.
And there was my solution. I needed to instruct mortal mind with immortal Truth that divine Mind was governing my ability to move, not muscles, not disease, not pain, not a false belief, not an unknown, not the brain, not anything material.
I focused my whole hearted prayer attention on understanding better how divine Mind alone was governing my every thought, action and movement. I also stayed clear that the body wasn’t doing anything, positive or negative, to help or to hinder me. Divine Mind was the only factor to consider and acknowledge. I could move and walk without limit through the power of Mind, I knew and held to without reservation.
My thought was in a very good place, so I went about my business for the day even though limping and stumbling around like I was crippled. But I was in a very cheery upbeat mood.
I persisted with my prayer.
Around 10 AM, while sitting in my office chair fervently striving to understand the above truths better, I suddenly felt an unlocking in my body. It was a sensation from head to toe that happened in a second. Everything loosened and a deep peace settled in. I knew that some error in my thought had just given up the battle and conceded defeat. And Truth was claiming the victory. I wasn’t sure what the specific truth was that wrought the victory, but I was 100% sure the healing had just occurred. And that proved to be the case. Physical recovery was rapid from then on, and I was soon in fit shape.
Mortal mind had been instructed with spiritual truth, and Truth had won the day.
I learned a number of spiritual lessons better than ever that day: Mind governs the body. Thought tells the body what to do. The body does what it’s told. So, it’s vital that the mind governing the body is guided by Truth and not by error so the best outcome possible is attained.
“After a lengthy examination of my discovery and its demonstration in healing the sick, this fact became evident to me, — that Mind governs the body, not partially but wholly” Science and Health, p. 111.
Thanks Evan! I always enjoy your articles. I’m struggling with this same thing now and I’m sure this will be very helpful in keeping my thinking focused on the fact that Mind governs the body.
This is a marvelous article, Evan. Such an honest look at Christian Science treatment, how it works and how it doesn’t! SO helpful for me, especially the part about checking in with the body first to see how I’m supposed to be feeling! Oops! That doesn’t work so well! l But understanding that Mind controls body (which is the phenomena of human thought) is the way to go for healing by spiritual means. Thank you for sharing your own experiences too. It makes us all realize that challenges come, even to those advanced in spiritual work, and that through Christly messages that come to every man, woman, and child, healing IS possible. Your humility is inspiring!
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your dedication and sharing. Your testimony had several specific points that stood out to me for a situation I am working to see more clearly, and to see complete healing. 1) the steadfast perseverance, 2) the confident expectancy of complete healing, no discouragement or doubt, 3)”focusing whole heartedly.” Your testimonies are always so encouraging and wonderful proofs of God is a very present help in trouble and we really do live, move and have our being in Him.
So timely…thanks Evan.
Thank you!
I really appreciate your sharing how you worked through your problem. I usually just throw in the towel because I don’t know what to do next. Your breaking it all down will be useful to me. Thank you!
Thanks from me too! Grace and Jeanne said everything so well, I will just “ditto” those two!
Thank you Evan. (=
Thanks Evan! I had a similar experience Friday. I had planned to go to dinner with some friends, but when finishing laundry, my head and neck started to hurt. I wanted to go lie down and read my lesson and pray, but I’d told another friend I’d help take down the building’s Christmas tree, and didn’t feel like I should skip it. So, I went and did that, thinking to myself that it is a right activity, so I couldn’t be punished for doing it. Then I came home and laid down and read my lesson and prayed, working to get my thought right. It hit me that I’d been thinking, “I will feel better after I pray,” when what I should have been thinking is something like, “I am wholly spiritual now, and always have been; this claim of pain is not real, and never has been.” When I got my thought on that track, even though my body still claimed I was hurt, I got up, walked my dog, and went out with my friends. I don’t know when the pain disappeared, but I do know it did – i had a fun evening out. Yay God and CS!
Thanks for sharing your thought process. It is very encouraging to see the steps you took.
Thank you so much Evan for sharing this experience with us. It is very welcomed
right now and so encouraging. Thanks also for all the comments from others.
Thanks oodles, Evan, for your humility in tracking your whole path to the healing. I’m certain the memories of it will be a great help to me helping someone else along their way.
My sense of spiritual mathematics at work: keeping the equation in balance. I like the way you offer your presentations to others. The logic has understandable clarity. Thank you Evan.
Thanks Evan for the lovely unfoldment of demonstration of the Truth. Your patience, confidence in the Truth, your determination to stay on Gods side won, and opened up the way for a lovely healing. Great. A shining example to all of us who give up so easily at times and do not hesitate to say “Oh God why me?” I am so glad that you gave in detail the step by step way to a healing experience. Deeply grateful. God bless.
That was great. Thank you taking us through the process. It is so subtle, isn’t it ? Always a deepening in understanding. It makes me think again that we suffer from hanging on to old ways of thinking, not from the Truth which is taking your higher and to freedom.
Thank you, Evan, for sharing this experience step-by-step. Sooo very helpful.
Beautiful, clear, and tender teaching for each of us to benefit from Evan. God loves you so much that your vitality and healing experiences reverberate outward like waves on the ocean- I have already shared this with four others:) Thank you. Thank you.
A definite keeper! I ditto all responders.
Here’s the ‘shorthand” truth in every case: I have never been unhealed. Principle would not allow it.
I am working to relieve my of problem he is having in walking. This will redirect my thoughts for a healing. He is not a Christian Scientist and I briefly mentioned that I would be working for a CS Treatment. There was no response but he smiled. I am not sure if I should continue on?
I really enjoyed your healing experience but why do you say “Eddy” instead of Mrs. Eddy or Mary Baker Eddy? To me this is very disrespectful. I also noticed that the MBE Library uses her name that way and it is very disappointing.
Using the last name of a famous individual is very common. Lincoln, Gandhi, etc. It’s quite normal sounding to the public ear to use the last name of a person. I refer to Mary Baker Eddy as Mary Baker Eddy, Mrs. Eddy, and Eddy, depending upon what feels right at the moment, and they are all used with the same amount of respect.