Thirst for spiritual things

by Joyce Voysey

I love this bit on page 59 of Healing Spiritually (it’s a testimony of healing of deep depression and suicidal feelings): “For the mental torment to have been ended would have been “heavenly,” a long-for release.  But it would not have given me a real sense of heaven…”  This is a remarkable testimony, especially the lessons, on overcoming selfishness and sensualism, gained along the way.

Wow!  Here’s how to learn about God in order to bring about a healing - testimony beginning page 63.  Study all the references to God (about 20 columns) listed in the Concordance to Science &Health (by Mary Baker Eddy); do the same with the synonyms of God; then study and appreciate Jesus’ parables; and work to satisfy a great thirst for spiritual things. 

I guess all the testifiers in the book would echo Rhea Robertson Buck’s closing sentence on page 68: “How grateful we can be for this “bugle-call” when it leads us to a deeper understanding of God and to a desire to express this understanding in our daily life.”

The first full paragraph on page 116 reminds me of the little book A Precious Legacy:  Christian Science comes to Japan by Emi Abiko.  The thought is that when we have a healing we must never think we have actually done anything – wonderful as the healing is. 

Having looked into that little book again, I would like to quote from it.  The author had a very serious problem, and Miss Boynton (an American woman who taught English in Japan and who introduced Christian Science to some well-to-do families there) assisted her in praying for healing.  Ms Abiko writes: 

“When the problem was solved, she said to me that she had never seen such a young woman overcome a trial of this kind.  I was very happy about my triumph, but she said right away, ‘But, my dear, we must remember that nothing has ever happened.  The only thing that has happened and that will ever happen is the unfolding of the Christ consciousness.’  I felt as though my balloon had been punctured, but I realized Miss Boynton knew what she was saying and I made up my mind that even if it would take ten years, I would keep trying to understand this.  I was glad for that little bit of humility I had at the time, for after two years I had occasion to perceive the meaning of this and I began to be totally liberated from any memory of the trial.” (pp. 44-45) 

This has  been, ever since my first reading of it, a prime example of that truth.

Interestingly, I asked our recent lecturer, Fujiko Signs, if she came from the line of students mentioned in that book.  No, she said, they were upper-class people.  She also said that the little book has never been translated into Japanese – so no Japanese person has ever read it in his own language.