‘God is my physician’

I’m so happy to say that through prayer alone, I’ve been completely healed of injuries from a fall, as well as of the tendency to always hurry.

One Friday I’d been looking forward to a relaxing weekend, but in a rush to unpack from a trip, I slipped and tumbled to the bottom of the staircase. My first reaction as I fell was disappointment that I’d been so careless. I landed with my feet bent awkwardly and the pain was intense. Still, at the same time, I found myself repeating aloud the “scientific statement of being” from Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures (Mary Baker Eddy, p. 468).

I cried out to my husband, all the while praying to affirm God’s presence and to deny the reality of accident, as I’d been taught to do in Christian Science. I was immediately comforted with the thought that God’s care for me was constant, and I clung to that spiritual fact. But as my husband tried to help me up, I couldn’t stand, and both feet felt useless and were beginning to swell.

Total reliance on the practice of Christian Science healing had become my chosen course of treatment for all discord in the past, so I asked my husband to call a Christian Science practitioner to pray with me in this instance as well.

Growing up in another religion, I’d always wondered how God could cause His children to suffer. I’d wondered where my Creator really was. Then as an adult I searched for years for answers. Finally, I was introduced to Christian Science in 1996 by the man who eventually became my husband. Amazement filled me as I read Science and Health for the first time and found that God did not create anyone to suffer and die, and that He loves us more than we could ever know. I learned, too, that the healings Jesus performed were ours to do as well. I took that gift to heart and have been committed to this healing method ever since. As a result, I’ve had healings of serious illnesses and burns. I have found that God is my Physician.

As I spoke with the practitioner on the phone, I turned my full attention to the thoughts she shared—away from the pain—and felt a deep gratitude come over me. The practitioner assured me that as God’s creation I was spiritual, and therefore that my real being was supple and compliant to His goodness. The following passages from the Bible and the Christian Science textbook helped me to focus on that truth: “Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord . . . and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths” (Isa. 2:3); and, “Christian Science brings to the body the sunlight of Truth, which invigorates and purifies” (Science and Health, p. 162).

Later that evening I was still not able to move my feet or ankles. But I persisted with prayer. Reaching out to God, I saw that I didn’t have to accept the pain or frightening physical appearance as belonging to me—including what looked to be a protruding bone. Instead, I could “stand porter at the door of thought” (Science and Health, p. 392) and shut out the thoughts of pain and fear, trusting that God was caring for me and that I could expect a complete recovery.

Although at first the pain was intense and persistent, I sensed it was in direct proportion to my fear. When I quieted my fear by reaching out to God, the pain lessened. The following day I woke up to sunlight pouring in the windows. All fear and doubt melted away. I was at peace. The words “Be still, and know that I am God” filled my thoughts (Ps. 46:10). I kept reading and studying Science and Health and refused to be discouraged or alarmed.

That morning a neighbor, who happened to be a medical student, stopped by. When he saw my feet, he suggested I should consider X-rays, since bones looked out of place. I told him I was being cared for in a most wonderful way through spiritual healing. He was both compassionate and respectful of my choice.

I knew with certainty that God would heal me completely, and I truly felt only peace and Love surrounding me.

I stayed in bed for most of two days. The nights were difficult, but I kept focused on feeling God’s loving presence. The bone that had appeared out of place adjusted itself properly by the third day, and at that point I had recovered enough to walk with a walker for short periods. On the fourth day I only had minor discomfort, and went to work using just a cane. Within a week all the swelling and discoloration were gone, and I was able to walk normally, completely free.

This healing, which occurred in 2004, forced me to slow down and glimpse the possibilities of living in Spirit. Today I swim, walk, and garden as if nothing ever happened. I’ve even cut and moved large tree limbs on my own after a hurricane, without any pain or discomfort. I’m humbled and in awe of God’s great healing power.

Debra Haberstroh | Ocean Pines, Maryland, US