All during my childhood and into my adult life I suffered terribly from allergies. There were many things in the environment that seemed to trigger reactions but the thing that upset me the most was my reaction to cats. I loved cats but to be even in a house where one had been caused me hours of distress. I grew up in a Christian Science family and through my parents’ prayers, I avoided, or recovered quickly from, many childhood illnesses. Somehow the allergies persisted.
As an adult, I joined the Christian Science church and gained much comfort from the teachings, based in the example of Jesus Christ, but I also sought medical help for the allergies. There was never any pressure on me not to do this, but after trying many remedies I still had no relief. Sometimes the side effects of the medication were worse than the condition so I stopped and just tried to manage the situation by avoiding as many of the irritants as I could.
On one occasion I travelled to the coast to stay with my parents for a few days. When I arrived I found that they were minding my sister’s cat. When I went to bed that night I found this large fluffy cat asleep on my pillow. Within a few minutes, I was in great distress. I struggled to stay calm. Though I knew they weren’t of God, recriminating thoughts flooded in as I tried to make sense of my continued suffering. I felt beaten.
But in that moment, as a result of my prayers, I also began to feel the touch of God’s love and grace. I realised, that as much as this condition had been part of my life for many years, it did not define me. Christian Science had been teaching me all along that my true identity is more than my body – as the Bible teaches, it is spiritual and good; that I am the image of God who is Love. In deep humility I accepted this with all my heart, and I felt a great sense of peace and of being loved. I fell asleep. I slept soundly till morning and woke completely well. Since that day I have never had an allergic reaction and for many years now I have lived happily with cats! This healing has encouraged me to find out more about my spiritual identity and how this understanding brings healing.
This article was originally published in the July 16 issue of the Canberra Weekly.
Christian Science Canberra 