Healing of allergies, a back problem, and more

Originally published in El Heraldo de la Ciencia Cristiana

I suffered from allergies for many years. Except for during the wintertime, I was always gasping for air and my respiratory system was blocked. There was no medication that could bring me relief. The condition was so serious that I would leave nasal drops in the homes of my friends, in case I forgot to bring mine and began to feel very ill during a visit.

This whole situation changed when I learned of Christian Science. While reading Science and Health, I realized that suffering was not a law of God, that He had not established anything in nature to be against me. Mary Baker Eddy wrote, “What an abuse of natural beauty to say that a rose, the smile of God, can produce suffering! The joy of its presence, its beauty and fragrance, should uplift the thought, and dissuade any sense of fear or fever.” I learned that it was irreverent to think that “the perfume of clover and the breath of new-mown hay can cause glandular inflammation, sneezing, and nasal pangs” (Science and Health, p. 175).

So I decided to enjoy nature and to pray to be healed of this condition. I remember that whenever the allergic symptoms began to appear, I would refuse to believe in them, declaring, “God did not create them and did not impose them on me, so I can’t be suffering from them.” And that is exactly what I experienced. As I persistently continued in my prayer, I was totally liberated from the allergic reactions. This healing took place more than 25 years ago.

The study of Christian Science was a big revelation for me, because I’d always thought that God was very far removed from me and that I had to do something to get closer to Him. But my healing showed me that He is always there for us.

This understanding gave me much spiritual strength and helped me to face up to different challenges that I was confronted with.

For example, one day I bent down to pick something up and then couldn’t stand upright. I began to pray, refusing to accept the symptoms of injury. I held to the fact that God’s law was at work in all my movements. However, the condition persisted, to the point where I couldn’t sit, walk, or turn in bed. I decided to ask for help through prayer from a Christian Science practitioner. Together, we turned to the passage in the Bible where it says that men and women were made in the image and likeness of their Creator (see Gen. 1:26). Science and Health confirms that matter cannot be this likeness, because God’s creation, which includes each one of us, is spiritual and perfect (see Science and Health, p. 330).

I prayed to understand better the teachings of Christ Jesus, and especially his promise that the truth will set us free (see John 8:32). And the truth is that God created us and governs us harmoniously. I strove to be receptive to this truth that I knew would free me. I persisted in my prayer, acknowledging that God was always with me, like a mother who is never separated from her children. When we don’t feel God’s presence, it’s because we’re looking the other way, as if we had our backs to our mother and couldn’t see her. However, God is still watching us. Knowing this made me feel very good, and has since helped me in other situations. Just the thought that God was with me, offering me protection, healing, and strength, helped me move forward. Bit by bit, I started to move again, until I was able to take up my normal activities. The problem hasn’t returned.

Not too long ago I was cooking, and boiling oil fell on my hand. I immediately thought that “accidents are unknown to God,” as Science and Health states (p. 424), and I remembered the three Hebrew men—Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego–in the Bible, who were thrown into a fiery furnace and suffered no burns (see Dan. 3:23). I cleaned my hand of the oil and prayed for a few minutes with these ideas. Then I continued cooking, as if nothing had happened. There was never any evidence on my hand from this incident.

These are some of the many conditions that were healed after I learned to habitually lean on prayer in Christian Science. I am very grateful.

Ana María Bartel | Buenos Aires, Argentina