My wife and I were at a Sunday brunch for her sister’s birthday, when my wife’s mother slumped over in her chair and became unresponsive. Family members thought she was manifesting symptoms of a stroke. I immediately started to work. It seemed like an impossible situation because the family was antagonistic towards Christian Science. But I remembered, “The divine Principle which governs the universe, including man, if demonstrated, is sufficient for all emergencies” (Miscellaneous Writings 41:26–28).

One other thing I worked about was that I could not harm the thoughts of others; God was the practitioner and healer, and in knowing this everyone present would be blessed. It appeared as if there were many minds, all arguing from a sense of fear – or disease, both cause and effect, medical intervention, etc. The situation reminded me of the court case in the chapter “Christian Science Practice” in Science and Health. The prosecutor and plaintiff (Personal Sense) all argued for medical authority, disease, and possibly death. But I knew God was the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Spirit, and my wife’s mom was innocent. And fear could melt away for all involved, for we were all God’s children.

A few minutes before the ambulance showed up, my wife’s mom woke up and was fully responsive. At that point, she didn’t want to go to the hospital. She was kept in the hospital overnight, waiting for results of various tests, but the medical staff couldn’t find anything wrong with her. They had no answers. But I knew it was for the glory of God.