When I submitted my Association assignment last Saturday afternoon, I didn’t have a testimony to share that was related to reading Science and Health. Most of my reading of Science and Health has been when studying the Bible Lesson or when being led to a particular passage by an article in the periodicals. Over the years, I have read various chapters, some multiple times, but have never read through the entire textbook, even though I have gotten started several times.

I began to read through Science and Health on Saturday evening. On Sunday evening, I was home alone when I felt a sudden sharp, localized pain in my abdomen. I felt nauseated and then began to feel very dizzy, so I lay down. As I reached for my phone to call a practitioner, I seemed to be going in and out of consciousness I was finally able to dial the practitioner and leave a short voicemail. She called me back a few minutes later, and I was able to answer. She assured me that I was not alone and began to audibly reject what seemed to be going on as unreal, declaring what was true. For a time, I could hear her, but could not respond in words. She stayed on the phone until I could answer her, and then asked if I wanted her to remain on the phone. I had begun to feel a sense of calm, and asked her to continue to work offline. For the rest of the night, I listened to the audio recording of Science and Health.

The next morning, I continued to read through Science and Health. For the next 48 hours, I read and rested. During the first night, additional disturbing symptoms seemed to develop and I began to pass an abnormal amount of blood. It was not easy to face the fear that accompanied this, because a family member had passed on after struggling with similar symptoms. I knew, however, that her dream was not mine. The pain seemed to come in waves, and I was up at least a half dozen times during both the nights. Each time an aggressive suggestion tried to claim control of my being, I challenged the belief of life in matter with what I was reading at that moment. I felt stronger and calmer each time.

Monday was a holiday, and I stayed home from work on Tuesday to study, pray, and rest. By the end of Tuesday, I felt ready to return to work because the symptoms had disappeared. When they seemed to reappear in the mornings of Wednesday and Thursday, I was able to affirm my safety, untouched by mortal belief. I am still reading Science and Health and expect that this dedicated study and moment-by-moment demonstration will deepen my understanding of Christian Science and move me forward.