Raising children and healthcare

Last weekend, when in Seattle, my 14 year old son woke me at 11 p.m. in our motel room and said, “Dad, I don’t feel very well.” I knew from experience, he wouldn’t ask for help unless the problem felt serious.

I spoke the spiritual truth to him as a reminder of who he was under God’s absolute government. He listened attentively.

As I gave him Christian Science treatment, though, doubts about his ability to recover quickly rushed in. After all, I remembered, he ate four lettuce leaves for dinner with a huge glass of strawberry lemonade. Then he swigged down a big bottle of Gatorade at the swim meet, plus Kettle Corn.

He deserved to suffer! Mortal mind protested.

Condemnation was a mental hurdle I had to jump and move past.

I condemned myself for letting him eat so poorly. That is not a general practice for our family, but somehow slipped through unnoted that evening.

So, to make spiritual progress, I protested back to the doubts of quick recovery.

“It doesn’t matter what he ate tonight.” I declared. “His ability to feel well is not controlled by what he consumes. It’s controlled by God, and God is caring for him as much now as at any other time. God did not keep track of what he ate.” I agreed.

I decided that God’s laws of Love could neutralize any so-called laws of physics that would warrant suffering. My son didn’t have to suffer. It was God’s will and plan for him to be well and stay well. This was a demonstrable truth.

I found my peace about his situation, knowing that divine Love was at work in his being sustaining him, protecting him, and healing him. He couldn’t help but get well and stay well.

If there was a need for diet adjustment in the future, God would facilitate it. But for now, quick recovery was the agenda.

After an urgent visit to the bathroom, which proved uneventful, he went back to bed. A few minutes later I heard him snoring. And that was the end of the suffering.

I’ve always been grateful for how quickly our children respond to Christian Science treatment. I can’t remember a single night over 17 years my wife or I have had to spend up with them because of illness. The ills have disappeared so rapidly when they were prayed for.

Christian Science is a marvel, a miracle, really, compared to other options in healthcare. To pray for a child, without having to apply any medicines and contend with side effects, and see them get well spiritually is truly a gift from God. Christian Science has been a huge blessing to my family.