"Precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little and there a little." Isaiah 28:10
"Precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little and there a little." Isaiah 28:10
The arrival of our baby boy, was the beautiful manifestation of several years of dedicated prayer by my husband and myself; we have been truly blessed. Along with the joys of parenthood, have come many opportunities for spiritual growth in new and previously unchartered ways. Our watchword, has been trust -- in God’s goodness, His bountiful provision, and His tender care of our little family as we hand the responsibility over.
When he arrived, the medical staff noted that he was ‘small’ by their charts and standards, and were very keen that he put weight on steadily and quickly. Each day through my pregnancy, I had sought the opportunity to claim this precious little one’s immunity from material beliefs concerning development, striving to see him as a complete idea, ‘uncontaminated and unfettered by human hypothesis’ and, like the Bible Lesson Sermon, ‘divinely authorised.’ I had prayed daily with Mary Baker Eddy’s affirmation that “In Science man is the offspring of Spirit. The beautiful, good, and pure constitute his ancestry. His origin is not, like that of mortals, in brute instinct, nor does he pass through material conditions prior to reaching intelligence. Spirit is his primitive and ultimate source of being; God is his Father, and Life is the law of his being.” (Science and Health p.63). God was sustaining this little one like a photo being revealed in a developing room, and my husband and I grew to realise this idea more clearly. This truth was an immense support once he had arrived also.
When he was about 5 weeks old, our little boy started being violently sick after at least one feed a day. He didn’t seem unduly worried about it, but it was becoming a concern for us and alarming for others when we were in company. At the back of my mind, was also the health visitor’s well-meaning insistence that he must continue to put on weight.
During one of the night feeds, I earnestly reached out to God in prayer, asking my Father-Mother what more I needed to know. I felt lead to open JSH-Online on my phone and read several very helpful articles pertaining to what we seemed to be dealing with. One particular article stopped me in my tracks. The lady writing the testimony had approached a practitioner when her baby was being continually sick, and was asked by the practitioner, “Are you making sure you get your daily bread? Are you finding time to study the Bible Lesson?” As she resolved to make this part of her daily routine, the sickness vanished.
What with all the washing, changing and feeding which comes with a newborn baby, I had to admit that I had been very sporadic in my approach to studying the Bible Lesson. There and then, in the peace and quiet of the nursery, I resolved that I would ensure a portion of every day was dedicated to studying the Lesson and relishing the nutrients in it for our whole family. As my husband pointed out, I could ‘read and feed’! From that moment on, the sickness lessened and then disappeared.
I am so grateful for all the wonderful growing opportunities we are gaining as a family, and for our spiritual toolbox of Christian Science.