I am a life long Christian Scientist who became interested in the Christian healing ministry as a young adult. Since 2003 I’ve been working full time as a Christian Science Practitioner. I pray for people who are looking to gain a better idea of themselves as a loved child of God which brings healing of a variety of issues. My journey in healing work also led me to become a teacher of Christian Science. My posts should give you an indication of the proof of the effectiveness of Christian Science prayer. I welcome any spiritual seekers to contact me for questions or for prayerful help or to inquire about taking class instruction with me. The following article gives you a further glimpse into my journey.
ANYONE CAN BE A HEALER
IT’S ALL ABOUT SHARING
From the August 4, 2008 issue of the Christian Science Sentinel
I ALWAYS FELT the truths of Christian Science were to be shared and not “put on a shelf.” This desire to share came from gratitude for the blessings I continued to see in my daily study of Christian Science. Being raised in a Christian Science home, I had learned to rely on God for my care. I took seriously Jesus’ command to let my light shine.
After I was married and my children were small, I started to visit the closest Christian Science Reading Room and spent two to three hours each week prayerfully addressing community and world issues, along with praying for my family. I had a small window of time in which to do this, so this time was very precious to me.
Later my husband got a teaching job in another part of the state, and I took a job at the same school. This opportunity really turned out to be a step in my public practice of Christian Science. I ended up working with special education students whose disabilities were considered profound. There were many opportunities to pray and share what I was learning in Christian Science. Sometimes my co-workers would ask me to pray for them, and I even shared copies of Science and Health with them. I loved working with the students, learning how to see each of them as a spiritual idea, and witnessing their progress.
After some years I decreased my number of working hours and devoted the rest of my time to the healing ministry. One of the themes in my prayer was to follow the divine will and not my own. I didn’t have to wait for things to be what I might have felt was “right” for me to be ready in terms of human circumstances. Two favorite Bible verses accompanied me in this prayer: “I can of mine own self do nothing” (John 5:30), and “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (Phil. 4:13). They helped me realize that the healing activity is for the world. God knows our abilities and we can trust Him to guide and govern us.
As I was praying and listening, the way opened for me to become more available to the public. I gratefully accepted the offer of a Christian Science teacher in our church to use his office once a week. This commitment allowed me time to concentrate more thoroughly on healing work. I was able to discern more that divine Mind was in control. And soon I began getting requests for prayer.
LEARNING TO LISTEN TO GOD’S DIRECTION IN MY PUBLIC PRACTICE OF CHRISTIAN SCIENCE HAS HELPED ME GET OUT OF MY COMFORT ZONE.
About four years ago, after my part-time job was dissolved because of budget cuts, I took the step to apply for advertising as a public healer in The Christian Science Journal. Something that Mary Baker Eddy wrote in Science and Health has been very meaningful to me about my public practice of Christian Science: “Prayer, watching, and working, combined with self-immolation, are God’s gracious means for accomplishing whatever has been successfully done for the Christianization and health of mankind” (p. 1). I’ve found that I often have conversations with parents about God and healing—for instance, at my son’s high school soccer games—and I end up sharing Science and Health with them. My daughter told her friends about my job as a Christian Science practitioner, and it has become normal for her friends to want to talk about God and sometimes ask me to pray with them.
Recently, I felt the nudge to join a small branch Church of Christ, Scientist, closer to my home. This was a church in need of a practitioner, and, I admit, I felt it was a challenge for which I wasn’t sure I was ready. As I studied the Bible story of Jonah, it really hit me that Jonah needed to look beyond his own personal desires to see what was needed and that God was governing this. I saw that I’d been happy in a comfortable large church but, like Jonah, was not looking at the larger needs of the community. That story spoke to me so strongly that I felt right then and there that I’d been disobedient in resisting this new adventure, so I let go of my reservations and joined the church. I’ve cherished the love and enthusiasm that are expressed in our church and appreciate the work being done for our community.
Learning to listen to God’s direction in my public practice of Christian Science has helped me get out of my comfort zone, and I am finding that I see more of the divine possibilities in this healing ministry.
