There’s nothing strange about spiritual healing
As a child growing up, healing was just expected in my family. And it always happened fairly quickly. As a kid and young adult, I was healed of a broken hand, bruised ribs, strained muscles, soreness, rashes, chapped lips, and more. Sure, people thought I was strange for relying on God for my health. But to me, it was natural. After all, it worked!
Sophomore year in high school, this high standard of healing was really put to the test when my ankle snapped during a wrestling tournament. The injury was plenty to overcome and deal with, but what I found to be the real difficulty was the very negative reaction from my peers and local community. As I had in the past, I chose to rely on prayer for healing, and I wasn’t shy about letting people know it. Was I strange? I didn’t think so. But the community’s reaction escalated to such a point that I wasn’t just getting doubt and disbelief as a result of my choices; people were actually furious.
I was told that I wouldn’t be able walk for at least 8 months, and that wrestling would be out of the question for years—if I ever managed to get back to it at all. I was also told that only surgery would offer a solution that would assure my return to a sport I loved. Not exactly what I wanted to hear!
I felt like I was drowning in a sea of opinions and judgment: The painkillers I should be using, the physical therapist I should be seeing. Even some of my friendships, especially with my peers in the wrestling community, were tested as I continued to rely on Christian Science for healing. It seemed like everyone thought I was just plain crazy.
I got to the point where I wasn’t even concerned about my ankle anymore; I just wanted people to treat me normally. That was when I realized that while I couldn’t change other people’s opinions, I could change the way I was responding to them. I made a conscious decision right then to make sure that, broken ankle or not, I could still express love to everyone I came into contact with. I could be myself—fun, carefree, and joyful, regardless of how others seemed to be perceiving me.
Not long after I made that decision, I was asked to a dance. And I went! On one leg, I danced the night away with 20 of my closest friends. And we all had a great time.
This was a turning point for me, because as I discovered my freedom to express love to everyone around me, I began to see that the resistance I’d been feeling from my community about my choices was actually a form of care and concern for my well-being. My friends loved me so much that they wanted to make sure I was doing everything possible to fix the problem. I saw that it didn’t matter if we had the same opinions on religion—divine Love was speaking to each of us, reassuring us and caring for us. Love was there for all of us to grab on to. So I didn’t have to prove anything. How liberating!
About a week or so after that, I had a complete healing of my ankle and was back on the wrestling mat. No surgery required. And it had only been about six weeks. Even better, everybody got to be a witness to that power of divine Love.
Since this healing, I have wrestled competitively, played football, and had more healings related to employment, finances, and relationships. Sure, my approach to the problems life throws at me may seem strange at first, but I’ve learned that Love breaks through that strangeness so that we can all rejoice together in the power of God.
Posted on Wednesday, July 4th, 2012 at 3:51 pm | Follow responses with the RSS feedTopics: Health
A year later, this post is still relevant and wonderful to read. Thanks for sharing….all that Love.
Jake, this is a fantastic story of courage and commitment to Truth! Thanks for sharing!
Dude, this is so legit!!! Thank you for sharing. It really helps me to be reminded of how not to get discouraged, especially. You’re awesome, and God is so awesome! Love to you and Lauren!!! :D
Congratulations on the continued unfoldment! Love from the Riccis!
What a powerful example of moral courage! Your friends will not forget that Christian Science does work. Thank you so much for sharing this powerful demonstration. It is essential to “come out from the material world and be separate” but it is not always easy. Good on you!
Go Jake! Thanks so much for sharing this with us.
Jake, I think there should be a blog entitled, “Raising Kids Strangely” :). I remember when you started playing high school football. You were actually angry with the team trainers when they required you to sit out after you were banged-up a little. During one game you had injured your finger. The team trainer wasn’t going to let you place defense, only offence. You called to the side lines to talk to the doctor. I think the doctor thouoght I would agree with him. I mentioned to him how much I appreciated his care for you. I said I would not make a decision for you but that I would support any dicission you made. The doctor reluctantly agreed to let you play. More importantly, you later came to the conclusion the trainers and doctors were actually fulfilling their highest sense of love and you didn’t feel that you needed to harbor any resentment toward them. Like you said, just be yourself and love them as you would anyone else.
Great Job, Jake!!!!
I forgot about that Pops! Thanks for that reminder! Great thing about the healings that we have is that we can constantly recall on them and continue to learn from them as well! Love you!
That is so helpful Jake. Seeing the resistance around you as actually love and concern. It takes the sting out of the resistance, and allows the healing to be acknowledged. Thank you!
What a beautiful healing………especially facing down the antagonism with nothing but love. That is powerful!
This was just the article I needed to read right now. Very inspiring. Thank you.
Glad to hear it Joe! NOTHIN BUT LOVE BABY!
I am so touched by this beautiful healing, Jake, because it demonstrates how God has endowed each one of us with courage…the courage and confidence to remain steadfast to His Word and thus be abundantly blessed and healed. Clearly, human opinion is valueless and powerless to diminish the authority of God’s Word. Your God-directed response just to love, love, love was the perfect solvent to the fears and concerns of your community. I’m grateful you shared this experience; it will bless and fortify everyone who reads it!! Thank you so much!
Totally awesome, Jake! Thank you for sticking to love/Love and working through this healing. It is a blessing to all of us.
What a wonderful story … a great reminder. Thank you for sharing it!
thank you for getting me back on track and helping me to understand others care and need to know about healing………………
Thank you for sharing this wonderful healing.
Thanks so much for sharing Jake! It was great to hear the whole testimony, I have heard bits and pieces from your Dad and Mom. Keep up the good work!
Much Love & hugs.
Thanks Grandma!! Lots of Love and hugs to you too!!!
Great sharing! Loved the part about realizing others were showing their highest thoughts of love and that you did not need to change others but to just keep on loving.
sweet Jake – nice write-up of a story I loved hearing.
Thank you so much for this wonderful example of Christian Science treatment. I am impressed how you were not swayed by the opinion of your peers. Animal magnitism will make it’s claims but we need to be steadfast with the truth.
You rock buddy!
Lovely! Thank you so much for sharing!
Thank you all so much! I didn’t even realize this was up! That Christ is there with us always! I’m finding that simple fact helpful in every situation! Arguments, lost on the road, can’t find your keys, all of that is just an opportunity for the Christ to do its thing!!! NOTHING BUT LOVE BABY!
Straight-forward, simple, helpful. Thank you for this!
Amen, brother. Beautiful example of walking the walk. The Christ walk.
Excellent, Jake!
Sometimes it’s quite a challenge to see past human opinion, especially when it appears to be almost universally held. It’s good that you have a history of spiritual healings in your life, which helped you counter the matter-based beliefs that were coming at you in this situation. For those who have no such history, the metaphysical reason and inspiration of Christian Science provide the starting point for healing, which is available to everyone.
Mortal “mind” and human belief need to be educated out of themselves, and your healing will have that effect, sooner or later, for those who were so anxious about you.
This is wonderful Jake. I hope we get to sit down and talk sometime. Lots of Love.
I hope so too my friend! NOTHING BUT LOVE BABY!
Hey Jake,
Thanks so much for sharing. Really appreciated how you responded with love – not reacted! – to others’ opinions. And how your understanding of God as Love itself liberated your view of everyone and everything – including your ankle.
Nice 4th of July post – real liberty!