"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
Nearly two years ago, at a time when I was full of stress over work responsibilities and family problems I had a healing experience that has helped me many times since when I’ve come up against similar walls of worry and work. I had just arrived in France with 9 students in tow when I experienced severe symptoms of a urinary infection and a painful abscess.
The students were safely cared for by their Language School and the families they were staying with, so I had time to devote to prayer. I affirmed the truth that I was conceived of Truth and Love, as were my own children, and even those whose angry faces I saw on the TV news (the war in Iraq had just ended and there were many angry people shown on those news programs.). This truth brought about a healing of the infection, but the growth became larger, more painful and made it very difficult for me to walk or sit.
However, I continued to move forward with all I needed to do. A lovely message came from the notice in the Quarterly that the Lesson –Sermon was “unfettered by human hypotheses and divinely authorized”. I realized that I too was unfettered by human hypotheses and divinely authorized. It gave me a much needed sense of value as I was struggling to carry out my responsibilities to the students and gain full healing.
At that point I went to London for my annual association meeting, expecting full healing from this experience because it has always been such a rich metaphysical experience for me. However that evening finding myself still in pain I was disappointed with whatever was blocking the demonstration. At dinner that evening my hostess reminded me that during the Trial scene in Science and Health Mortal Man ruminated. We had been talking about things I felt concerned about, including my work and a family situation. I went to bed thinking about that statement and the next morning after church started reading the Trial scene.
I saw elements of manipulation as I had never seen them: Health laws manipulating thought, personal Sense getting in the way... and I began laughing, laughing at all those false elements that clutter our thinking. Just as I reached the passage where the attorney Christian Science arrives to say “Stop the execution. The prisoner is not guilty,” my hostess arrived and we sat down to lunch. When I stood up after lunch I found myself completely healed, healed by the understanding that everything had just been mortal mind manipulating me. I felt so free, not guilty, just like Mortal Man in the Trial scene, fetterless and divinely authorized. The abscess had broken and was soon cleared away.
This healing freed me to work more deeply on the sense of false responsibility which has so often plagued me as a parent and as a teacher. I’m still working with it, but that healing in London was a big step towards better understanding and spiritual growth.