The members of the Christian Science community in Canberra share their experiences and thoughts on Christian Science:
Just recently I spent a day at Summernats with my dad. Summernats is an annual car event held in Canberra. COVID was raging in Canberra at this time and people were quite fearful of anyone who even coughed. Still Exhibition Park where the event was held was crowded with over 2000 people attending that day. We had a wonderful time!
However, after I arrived home I started to feel unwell. I had many of the symptoms associated with COVID and my mum told me to isolate from the family and stay in my room. I obeyed and used this alone time to pray quietly about the situation. The idea that came to me was that this situation was similar to one of those 3D drawings you see sometimes – the ones where if you look at it one way you see one image and if you change focus and look at it from a different angle you see a completely different picture. I knew I had to choose which picture I was looking at.
At this point I messaged my Sunday School teacher for some extra help. She told me that it was fear that was contagious not COVID. I related this to a story she had told me in Sunday School about a man in a canoe who was lost in the fog. I likened the fear to the fog. At that point the fear seemed to surround me – just like the fog. In the story the man had only to stand up in the canoe and see above the fog and to see his safe course. I knew that all I needed to do was to stand above the mental fog and see the truth of the situation – the truth that I was spiritual and not subject to material laws of contagion. With these thoughts I felt safe and fell asleep.
In the morning when I woke I was perfectly well. The fever and the cough had completely gone and the runny nose was also gone in about an hour. I was very grateful for this proof of God’s care.
The members of the Christian Science community in Canberra share their experiences and thoughts on Christian Science:
One of my roles in the years just before I retired was to organise the annual regional conference for the large state government department I worked for. These events were attended by over 300 participants and included one main keynote speaker and approximately 48 breakout sessions. Planning took many months. In order to secure an exceptional keynote speaker, it was necessary to book at least twelve months in advance.
This particular year I managed to secure a booking with someone I knew to be not only at the forefront of his specialist area, but an excellent and engaging speaker. He was pleased to be asked and at the initial interview we discussed a timeline for when he would give me details of his talk and materials for hand outs etc. During the year we touched base a couple of times and all seemed to be going to plan. However, when we were about a month out from the event he still hadn’t given me the material I was expecting and wasn’t answering my calls or emails.
Eventually I managed to make contact with his support staff. They said that he had been in hospital with a very severe case of pneumonia and even after a couple of months he was not well enough to be back at work. I said I would make contact again in a week or so to see how he was progressing. This time I managed to talk to the speaker himself. He said that although he was still very ill and weak he felt sure he would improve enough to be able to do the talk. We touched base several times over the next couple of weeks but his health was not improving. He seemed keen not to let me down and said that he would bring his wife to support him and possibly do the talk sitting down. He thought then he might possibly manage. This was still the situation, the day before the conference and it was extremely tempting to be very worried. I did not want this dear man to jeopardise his health but I also knew that the opening address was a very important part of the conference.
I have been raised in Christian Science and I’ve learnt over many years that there are spiritual laws that can be relied upon when challenges arise. So I prayed to see things from a spiritual, rather than a human perspective. I knew that this conference was a right idea. Among other things it was an opportunity for participants and presenters to share ideas that worked and to collectively rise to higher levels of performance. I knew that all right ideas are God’s because I have come to know God as infinite Mind and the source of all good. I have also come to know God as Love and that Love is not just a feeling but a divine law. This law ensured the safety of all; this law held everyone in their right place and maintained harmony. I thought on these and similar ideas until I felt a sense of calm – a strong sense that all was well. The night before the conference I slept peacefully expectant of good unfolding.
The following evening was the meet and greet and the conference opening dinner. When I arrived the hall was already abuzz with excited participants. Quickly I noticed that there was quite a gathering of people over near the bar. In the centre of this someone was holding the floor and entertaining a small crowd. As I moved closer I realised that was my keynote speaker. He greeted me with a huge grin. ‘You wouldn’t believe what happened’, he said. ‘You know how I’ve been so sick for the last few months. Well last night, it was like a switch flicked and instantly I was completely well. I haven’t felt this well in years. Look at me now!’ His excitement and enthusiasm spilled over into the group and he continued to entertain them. Needless to say his talk was a great success, as was the rest of the conference.
Every day I am grateful for what I am learning in Christian Science. It teaches me to be calm in the face of challenges; it teaches me to turn away from the human scenario and to acknowledge the spiritual truths; it teaches me that there are spiritual laws that apply to all life and if understood and trusted these laws will adjust any discordant situation.
The members of the Christian Science community in Canberra share their experiences and thoughts on Christian Science:
Just before the COVID restrictions came into force my sister and I were travelling in the US. At one point we were catching a flight from one of the larger airports. The terminal was extremely busy and there were long queues everywhere. We needed to check in our luggage so we queued at one of the self-serve terminals. There was a cost for each bag and my sister said that it was her turn to pay this time. She inserted her credit card into the slot in the machine and we filled out all the on-screen questions and received our baggage tags. From there we queued again to drop our bags and then joined the long winding queue going through security.
Finally we were through with just enough time to find lunch before our flight left. At this point my sister realised that she no longer had her credit card. We had left it in the self-serve terminal! This was the card that held all her travel money. A good hour had passed since we checked our baggage and with the queues everywhere it seemed impossible that the card could be found. My sister suggested that I wait near the café with the hand luggage and she would go back through to the check-in machines. My job was to stay calm and to pray. I knew my sister would be praying too.
I sat quietly in a corner and turned to God. I have come to know God as the all-knowing divine Mind. The All-knowing I reasoned knew exactly where that card was. I have also come to know God as divine, Father-Mother Love. As a loving parent God protects and guides His offspring. I have had many proofs of God’s loving care in other circumstances and this gave me confidence that all was well. In my prayer I also acknowledged that God’s man is honest. As I thought on these things I felt a sense of peace that replaced any sense of anxiety I had felt.
Within a very short time my sister was back – and smiling! She waved the card at me. ‘ Look what I found’, she said. ‘It was exactly where we left it in the check-in machine.’ My sister explained that she had intended to go to the information counter in the hope that the card had been handed in but she had a very strong mental message not to do this but to go to the terminal we had used and check there. She obeyed this direction and found the card in the slot just where we had left it. We had no human explanation as to how this could have happened given the number of people using the machines. A later check on her card showed that no extra charges had been made beyond our last baggage charge.
For what I am learning in Christian Science and for the peace that these teachings bring I am always grateful.
This recording is of readings on the topic: Looking to Spirit for Cause and Effect
.
During twenty years prior to my discovery I had been trying to trace all physical effects to a mental cause; and in the latter part of 1866 I gained the scientific certainty that all causation was Mind, and every effect a mental phenomenon.
Every Wednesday at 6.15pm a Testimony Meeting is held at the Christian Science church in Canberra (corner of Macquarie and Bligh Streets, Barton). At these meetings short readings on a particular topic are followed by time for members of the congregation to share how they have been helped and healed through prayer.
The members of the Christian Science community in Canberra share their experiences and thoughts on Christian Science:
Just before the lockdown began, I came down with a chest infection. If I walked upstairs or tried to talk, I coughed uncontrollably making it very difficult to hold a conversation, talk on the phone or take part in online meetings. It was also difficult to sleep at night. To allay the fears of family members who were concerned that I might be infectious and so should not be babysitting, I agreed to take a Covid test.
Throughout this time, I had been at home praying asking God to show me what I needed to know and not mixing with others. Eventually I remembered the statement in the Christian Science textbook, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy, (p 420)
“If students do not readily heal themselves, they should early call an experienced Christian Scientist to aid them. If they are unwilling to do this for themselves, they need only to know that error cannot produce this unnatural reluctance.”
I decided to contact a Christian Science practitioner who was unimpressed by the symptoms and likened the coughing to a “performance wanting to get my attention”. She assured me that “Spirit (my true substance) can’t irritate or distress itself” and agreed to pray for me.
That night I slept peacefully and in the morning I found a text on my phone saying that my Covid test was negative. Over the next two days, the coughing disappeared and I was able to fulfill care commitments for my family with no problem.
I am deeply grateful for this healing and for the lessons that I continue to learn from the experience.
A cherry on the cake came a few days later. I realised that my ribs were sore on one side – and found myself thinking that this was due to the violent coughing that I had been doing. I realised that as the cough had never actually been part of me, there was no reason for there to be any after-effects. I rejected the suggestion and concentrated on the reading that I was doing. When I had finished reading, I realised that all feeling of aching had disappeared.
This whole experience was really a ‘wake-up call’ – a nudge to draw closer to God and to feel his love not only for myself but everyone around me.
The members of the Christian Science community in Canberra share their experiences and thoughts on Christian Science:
Recently I experienced all the symptoms of a heavy head cold. It just seemed to sneak up on me as the day progressed.
I was fairly determined to not give in to this feeling and I accomplished all I needed to during the day but by the evening I felt physically overwhelmed by the symptoms and the unwell feeling. However, during the day I had been reminding myself that my true nature was spiritual – the image and likeness of God, as the Bible tell us (Genesis 1: 26, 27) and if God didn’t have a cold then really nor could I. Although I didn’t feel well I didn’t feel beaten by this situation. My mental well-being still felt very intact.
In the evening as I didn’t feel capable of doing anything physical, I curled up in my favourite chair and decided to listen to the Wednesday Testimony Meeting readings on the phone. They were perfect for me! The topic was spiritual healing and I became engrossed in the words and the message – a message that reminded me that I could mentally stand up to claims of ill-health. The readings assured me that matter couldn’t make conditions for me because Mind was the only cause. At the end of the readings I felt calm and forgot to think much about the cold situation.
That night I slept through peacefully and woke in the morning 100% well. There was not a single trace of the condition. Later that next day my husband and I took the dog on a long walk and we jogged much of the way. I kept up easily and pulled up after each jog without any puffing. I felt more energised than I had in a long time.
For this and all the other healings I have experienced through relying on the truths taught in Christian Science I am truly grateful. Armed with this understanding I approach each day with confidence and joy.
A recording of the readings mentioned above are posted on this blog below under the heading, Spiritual Healing – Past and Present.
The members of the Christian Science community in Canberra share their experiences and thoughts on Christian Science:
A few months ago, I found I was struggling with a painful strained wrist. I believed it to be RSI or Repetitive Strain Injury. This seemed so bad that I was having great difficulty fulfilling everyday essential tasks.
I asked help from my sister who is a Christian Science practitioner in England. A Christian Science practitioner is someone who devotes their life to helping others through prayer – a spiritual healer.
When my sister later looked up RSI on the internet, she was amused by one definition that came up as ‘Relative Strength Indicator’ relating to the stock market. …a rather less intimidating definition!
She referred me to hymn 350 from the Christian Science Hymnal, which tells me in part:
Through the love of God our Saviour All will be well; … … While His truth we are applying, And upon His love relying, God is every need supplying, All, all is well.
Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy is the textbook of Christian Science. It was written to teach readers how to heal spiritually. I keep a little notebook of citations from it that I find helpful. On this occasion these were some of the ideas that helped me:
Let us feel the divine energy of Spirit, bringing us into newness of life and recognizing no mortal nor material power as able to destroy (p249).
Consciousness, as well as action, is governed by Mind, – is in God, … (p480).
All that God imparts moves in accord with Him, reflecting goodness and power (p515).
Constant toil, deprivations, exposures, and all untoward conditions, if without sin, can be experienced without suffering. Whatever it is your duty to do, you can do without harm to yourself. If you sprain the muscles or wound the flesh, your remedy is at hand. Mind decides whether or not the flesh shall be discolored, painful, swollen, and inflamed (385).
I was grateful to have the extra time staying at home to study and grow.
In a month or so there was much improvement – so much so that it was no longer uppermost in my thought and then it disappeared without further notice!
I am so grateful for all that Christian Science has given me, and for my sister’s patient care.
This recording is of readings on the topic: Spiritual Healing
(Apology: Nature in the form of a wild white sulphur-crested cockatoo has made his presence felt a little raucously on this audio.)
.
Become conscious for a single moment that Life and intelligence are purely spiritual, – neither in nor of matter, – and the body will then utter no complaints. If suffering from a belief in sickness, you will find yourself suddenly well. (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy p14)
.
.
Every Wednesday at 6.15pm a Testimony Meeting is held at the Christian Science church in Canberra (corner of Macquarie and Bligh Streets, Barton). At these meetings short readings on a particular topic are followed by time for members of the congregation to share how they have been helped and healed through prayer.
Everyone is welcome. If you are in Canberra on any Wednesday, please join us.
The members of the Christian Science community in Canberra share their experiences and thoughts on Christian Science:
My heart is full of gratitude to God for His constant care and the teachings of the Holy Bible together with a greater awareness of who I am really as taught through the writings of Mary Baker Eddy. Mrs Eddy shared her ideas with the world through the teachings of Christian Science which she discovered through a personal healing in the year 1866.
She explains that through a better understanding of God we can have healing experiences as promised by our Wayshower, Jesus Christ. He reminded us that with God all things are possible and that the wonderful works which he did were available to all and not restricted to any time in human history.
I would like to share how I was healed of headaches early in my study of Christian Science. At this time of my life I was working in a job which put me constantly attending to the public and expected to be always bright, smiling and attentive to the needs of others.
Sometimes this was a challenge as I was bothered by headaches. One particular day as I went about my business I asked myself if I thought that God could have a headache. I already knew a bit about God, His goodness and purity, His all-power and presence, and His constant love for His children, His ideas, totally inseparable from the Creator. God, the author of man, could not have a headache.
Next question – well, could I, as one of those children, possibly have a headache? Answer, totally impossible! I could have only what God gave me and that was all good, so no headache in that goodness. The throbbing vanished immediately, and for all time. The healing was immediate and remained permanent.
Over the intervening years, which are many, I have not had another headache. I cannot say that the temptation has not tapped on the door of my consciousness, but it is briskly dismissed because I know that this suggestion has been dealt with and I do not need to cover that old ground again. To use the words of Jesus, “Get thee behind me, Satan” (Matt 4:10). Satan is a Hebrew word signifying an adversary, an enemy, an accuser. Sometimes I would simply declare: I don’t do headaches.
As I write about this experience I also recall another proof of the completeness of the healing many years later. I was working in an office at the time, and as people went home from work they walked past my desk as they stepped into the lift. On this particular day as one of the ladies left she said she couldn’t wait to go home as she had such a terrible headache. I mentally cried out, “There is no such thing as a headache” God does not have them or give them, so they cannot exist.
A very short time later the lift returned and this same lady stepped out of the lift and asked, “Did you pray for me? By the time I got to ground level the headache had gone” The office was four floors above ground level. This person knew that I prayed about things, but as I recall I just smiled and said “no such thing as a headache”.
The members of the Christian Science community in Canberra share their experiences and thoughts on Christian Science:
A few years ago my husband wanted to give me a surprise for our anniversary. He knew I loved horses and that in my youth I had gone on a few short trail rides which I loved. This year he had the romantic idea that escaping our city life for a weekend of riding horses through the bushland in the Blue Mountains west of Sydney would be a good plan. My husband has never been a horse rider and knows very little about horses.
When he presented me with the gift vouchers I was filled with some very mixed emotions. I could see that he was trying hard to please me – that was nice. But, an eight-hour ride through very rugged territory, when I hadn’t been on a horse for about twenty years, seemed daunting in ways he couldn’t imagine. I prayed about this. I reasoned that all good ideas come from God and God’s ideas don’t have a downside. I also know that the beliefs I hold about life determine the nature of this material experience. I tried to stay focused on a conviction that my true nature is spiritual, not material. Only matter feels pain, not spirit.
My husband, as a novice rider, was given Fred, an elderly plodder. However, he had told the stables that I could ride well and I was given Jeda, a young thoroughbred-cross who really wanted to turn everything into a race. I’d been on the horse for about fifteen minutes when I realised that the saddle was horribly uncomfortable; it had two hard ridges that dug into the bones in my bottom.
During the eight-hour outing we spent nearly seven hours in the saddle. The countryside was amazing. We rode across green paddocks with cows, through mountain streams, up and down steep hillsides and along winding forest trails. It was truly beautiful. At every point in the day my Jeda wanted to race ahead and I spent the whole day calming her and reining her in. Even when we were waiting for slow Fred to catch up she pulled and pranced. She was exhausting!
It was late afternoon when we arrived back at our accommodation. I was so sore I felt physically sick. I fell on the bed and thought I would never be able to move again. Every muscle in my body screamed and protested. I thought I had mentally protected myself before the ride but I realised that I hadn’t really given up the idea that this activity could be punishing. In Christian Science, we are taught that what we let into consciousness, is what we experience. So while I lay there on the bed I had a mental reassessment.
A passage from Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy helped me to gain some peace. She asks: Without mind, could the muscles be tired? Do the muscles talk, or do you talk for them? Matter is non‐intelligent. Mortal mind does the false talking, and that which affirms weariness, made that weariness (p217:31). I realized that I had given myself permission to be affected by this ride, so mentally I took back that permission.
Within a very short time I was up and getting cleaned up to go out to dinner. There was not a single twinge anywhere – I walked straight and tall and pain free. We had a happy night and the rest of the weekend was active and harmonious. There were absolutely no after-effects.
I am continually grateful to Christian Science which teaches me that I don’t have to give in to material laws. All right activity can be undertaken without penalty.
Christian Science Canberra 