HEALING- Ear for Truth

When I served as a volunteer in the Peace Corps, I lived in the northern part of Malawi, Africa. My view of Lake Malawi and the Tanzanian mountains on the other side of the lake was stunning. I was living in a village that was beautiful but quite isolated from the modern world. The village people were friendly and lived at a comfortable pace. However, I was about 45 minutes from the nearest working telephone, and at times I felt isolated. This isolation would sometimes lead to fear when I faced a difficulty or health problem. Early in my experience, I suffered from a severe illness, and due to fear I took the medication that Peace Corps required as treatment. This physical struggle left me with a lack of spiritual enthusiasm followed by a sense of discouragement.

When I joined the Peace Corps, I was filled with a sense of joy and a desire to serve others. I had witnessed so many wonderful examples of selfless service by other people that I wanted to try and do similar things. During my time in Malawi, I began feeling frustrated with the challenges that I was facing regarding development activities with the community. As my enthusiasm waned, I found I was using human reasoning to justify the downward slide of emotions. It seemed easy to get caught up in the idea of holding others responsible for challenges that I was facing. As I started working on development projects I found that there were many delays due to differences in work ethic and culture.

This was difficult as I was in another country away from everything that was familiar, and at times it felt pointless to be there. I was getting tricked into believing that speed bumps along the path were road blocks. I found discouragement instead of finding a spiritual solution in a higher sense of creativity and government.

As the situation worsened, I started struggling with what seemed like an infected ear. The symptoms made it difficult to complete my daily tasks. One night I awoke in the early hours of the morning with a great deal of pressure in the ear and it seemed as if the ear would burst. At first the helpless feeling took over, but the comfort that I had found in previous healings lead me back to the all-powerful divine Love.

I read a few articles from an issue of the Christian Science Sentinel. The first article was about looking past a false material façade and seeing the spiritual beauty. The second article was about recognizing the spiritual qualities of beauty expressed by a person. These articles helped me to look past the false material outlook and look for the perfect creation as God made it. This higher concept of beauty helped to relieve the pressure that I had been putting on myself to find inspiration in these material surroundings and activities. The truth was that I had never been isolated or separated from God and his ever unfolding beauty.

A great sense of calm replaced the discomfort and I went to sleep easily. In the morning the symptoms were greatly improved and I felt refreshed spiritually. I decided to travel into the nearest city to contact a Christian Science practitioner about getting prayerful support towards a complete healing. When I arrived in the city, I tried sending an email, but prior to sending it the internet connection was broken. While I was waiting to resend the message, I sat in a restaurant and I could feel the pressure in the ear diminish.

When I was able to get in touch with the Christian Science practitioner, she shared the idea that I had a clear unblocked connection to God, Spirit. And through this connection, Spirit was giving me the understanding I needed to overcome the false belief.

As I walked around the city, I was overwhelmed with a sense of spiritual beauty, and in a small way God’s presence. Instead of seeing a rundown building, I saw beautiful plants growing on a balcony. It was if I were walking through a new city with a sense of peace, free from harassment or isolation. I spent the rest of the day looking for abundance instead of lack, and feeling bathed in divine compassion.

In a few days the harmony in my life was restored and the problem with the ear was healed. Everything seemed renewed to its higher sense of wholeness. Through the unchanging guidance of Christian Science and the wonderful support of the Christian Science practitioner, I found a renewed sense of compassion and the spiritual presence of God in my activities.

“Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live” (Isa 55:3). God provides all peace and harmony, and to receive this blessing, I needed to listen. I am very grateful for this powerful method of restoring wholeness, for God’s absolute presence and power, and the wonderful kindness that others around me have displayed.