When our first child was born, it was comforting to know that her true Parent was her tender, caring Father-Mother, God. Our daughter’s harmonious birth was a beautiful demonstration of this, and so was the healing that ultimately followed.
Early on it was apparent that one of Clementine’s feet was turned inward. My husband and I were given a diagnosis of clubfoot, a birth deformity, by the doctor. The senior nurse, in a well-intentioned comment that was meant to be empathetic, said, “You must feel so bad giving your husband this baby with a bad foot.” My prayers, in the months before the delivery to know our daughter’s spiritual origin and true parentage, completely protected me from taking on a false sense of responsibility as her mother.
I had received Christian Science treatment from a dear Christian Science practitioner throughout the pregnancy, and I asked the practitioner to continue spiritual treatment upon hearing the diagnosis. This treatment was very precious because it helped calm my thought and guided me to hold fast to the Word of God for healing.
I must say, though, there were discouraging times when people would ask what was wrong with the baby’s foot. Also, the doctor told us that our daughter’s case was much worse than that of some other children he had seen or treated and that certain procedures and corrective measures he might recommend wouldn’t make a difference. This made me realize that spiritual healing was my sure and only hope, and I trusted completely in God’s healing power; I knew that our daughter would be healed.
I visited the Christian Science practitioner regularly, and she prayed diligently, as did I. She reminded me that Clementine was God’s child, His creation, and that He saw and created only perfection, not malformation. I could trust the healing to God, which I did. I read and studied the first chapter in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, titled “Prayer” (Mary Baker Eddy, pp. 1–17). My desire for Clementine’s healing was sincere, and this chapter tells us, “Desire is prayer; …” (p. 1), and asks, “Do we expect to change perfection?” (p. 2). I prayed knowing that I was not trying to change a malformation but to have Clementine’s perfection revealed. My husband, although not a Christian Scientist, was very supportive of the spiritual treatment being given.
As a result of Christian Science treatment, my daughter walked normally when she was just over a year old. By the time she was two years old, her foot was almost completely healed. She attended her first ballet class at four, and by then her foot was completely healed. I rejoiced because after her first class, the ballet mistress said my daughter was very talented and that she should attend the beginners class and the advanced class afterward. She loved ballet. I remember how having done two classes, she would come home and joyfully practice what she had learned for another hour in the living room—with her perfectly formed feet.
I’m immensely grateful for this healing—first, because our darling daughter was freed from this imposition; and second, because it taught me I could trust God completely for healing, especially when raising our three children.
Jean Beesley
Shillingford, Oxfordshire, England
I am happy to verify this testimony by my mother of my healing of clubfoot. After the healing, I had full use of my foot. I’m an athlete and took part in lots of fun activities growing up. It was a healing that for me really demonstrated the practicality of Christian Science.
Clementine Lue Clark
Coppet, Geneva, Switzerland