This article by Deirdre Kindthistle was first published in the March 2026 issue of The Christian Science Journal.
… For most of my life I had not given much consideration to age. But some time ago I realized that thoughts of aging had crept into my consciousness, eating away at my sense of self and my capacity for enjoying many physical activities. Suddenly my joints were stiff. I was tired all the time. My movements had become clumsy. If friends proposed a hike in the mountains, I hesitated to join them, for when I did, I ended up grunting along, trailing behind the others. If a day’s outing was suggested, I weighed it against enjoying my usual twice-daily naps.
Interesting question! When I first came across this question, my initial thought was to try to pick a number – an age that I would like to be – and to think of myself as that age. Then I realised that I didn’t want to be the me that I was back then. I’ve learned too much in meantime. The next question that occurred to me was: What if I didn’t attribute a number to myself at all? How would I feel if I thought of myself as ageless? That’s a very freeing concept!
Never record ages. Chronological data are no part of the vast forever. Time-tables of birth and death are so many conspiracies against manhood and womanhood. Except for the error of measuring and limiting all that is good and beautiful, man would enjoy more than threescore years and ten and still maintain his vigor, freshness, and promise.
This is interesting to think through and liberating to put into practice. Christian Science helps me to do this.
Christian Science is based on the Bible. It provides important truths that help us live harmonious and productive lives. In the book of Genesis we are told that man is made in the image of God – that we are God’s likeness. God, we are also told, is Spirit – not a material being. This means that man’s true nature is spiritual. Spirit doesn’t age.
Our society gives common consent to ageing. We are conditioned to expect to slow down as the years go by, to be physically less able. How often do we hear people say when they have aches and pains: What can you expect at my age? We can take back this permission by claiming our agelessness – ageless because we are spiritual, the image of God who never ages, never tires, never wears out.
I have proved this often. Once, after not having been on a horse for many decades, I did an eight-hour day of horse riding. I was allocated a large frisky mount that challenged my strength all day. By the end of the ride every muscle in my body screamed and ached, and I could hardly move. As I lay moaning I realised that I had given myself permission to be affected by this. So, I mentally took back permission by reminding myself that as the likeness of God, Spirit, I could say ‘No’ to this situation. I dwelt on this and trusted these thoughts. Within half an hour all pain and tiredness had left. I participated fully in the evening’s activities and remained completely free.
Nowadays when people ask me how old I am, I reply that I try not to have a number. Without a number, I can be the ageless me – free and healthy.
This article, submitted by a member of the Canberra Christian Science community, was first published in the 21 May issue of the Canberra Weekly.
A material body only expresses a material and mortal mind. A mortal man possesses this body, and he makes it harmonious or discordant according to the images of thought impressed upon it. You embrace your body in your thought, and you should delineate upon it thoughts of health, not of sickness.
(Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy p208:25)
Hold thought steadfastly to the enduring, the good, and the true, and you will bring these into your experience proportionably to their occupancy of your thoughts.
(Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy p261:4)
Miracle. That which is divinely natural, but must be learned humanly; a phenomenon of Science.
(Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy p591)
The mission of Jesus confirmed prophecy, and explained the so-called miracles of olden time as natural demonstrations of the divine power, demonstrations which were not understood.
(Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy p131)
An interview with Beth Packer, of NSW Australia, who deals with aging-related issues in an unconventional way. She’s not focused on herself—at all. Beth keeps her focus squarely on God. Listen to her conversation with host David Brown and find out the healing effects of this approach.
A member of the Christian Science community in Canberra was interviewed by Jenny Sawyer for a Sentinel Watch podcast titled Prayer: What’s It All About? In this she explains how she prayed when faced with difficult situations.
Prayer: What’s It All About? (Part 2) Click here to listen.
An interview with John Biggs. Click here to listen.
In this podcast John talks about how a new hobby of his – learning magic card tricks – gave him an insight into how spiritual healing happens. He explains that he leaned that in card tricks the audience believes they see something that wasn’t there or didn’t happen because they become distracted from the truth of what is happening by the performance. Healing in Christian Science is not magic but when we are distracted by an inharmonious situation we are blinded to the truth of what is really happening. Being alert to the distraction and focussing on the spiritual truth allows us to experience the true harmony of any situation. In this interview John explains this fully and gives examples of his own healings.
This recording is of the Wednesday Testimony Meeting readings on the topic of God as the only healer. The readings are from the Bible (KJV) and the textbook of Christian Science, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, by Mary Baker Eddy.
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The physical healing of Christian Science results now, as in Jesus’ time, from the operation of divine Principle, before which sin and disease lose their reality in human consciousness and disappear as naturally and as necessarily as darkness gives place to light and sin to reformation. Now, as then, these mighty works are not supernatural, but supremely natural.
(Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy pxi: 9)
An article by a member of the Canberra Christian Science community (alternatively titled: Practice is essential) which was published in the 6 October 2025 issue of the Christian Science Sentinel.
I was walking across the lawn at the front of our house, enjoying the cool, squishy feeling of the grass under my bare feet, when suddenly there was an agonizing burning in my left foot. I live in Australia, where there are many things that bite and sting, and a pain of that magnitude is not a good thing. I spun around, looked down, and saw that I had been stung by a large wasp.
An often-used expression in Christian Science is “Know the truth.” It comes from Christ Jesus’ instruction “Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32). Immediately, I did so, and as quickly as the first truthful, healing thought came, the pain left. There was no evidence of a sting, and I had no further reaction to it.
So what does knowing the truth really entail, and how can we be instant in our knowing of this truth that heals and protects?
As you can imagine, I was really grateful for the instantaneous nature of this healing. But healings are also wonderful learning experiences. Instead of thinking, “Wow! I’m glad that awful situation has passed,” I value how healings can help me to learn more about the law of God, divine Love, which governs me and all situations. I stop and think, “What worked there? Where was my thinking—was it on God or on the situation itself? What can I learn from this that will help me to be a more effective healer?”
I learned two lessons from this incident with the wasp. … Click here to read the full article: Practice is essential
Christian Science Canberra 