When I think of Sunrise Haven, I think of tender, loving care. They took me where they found me and helped me as I improved every single day. An accident had put me in the hospital, something I had never intended. (My physical condition) got more complicated while I was there. At my release, I was told that I would need to take certain medicines on a continuing basis, or find myself back in the hospital again in a few days. I had to sign a disclaimer in order to receive my release because I wanted to rely on God alone for healing.
It was wonderful to arrive at Sunrise Haven. At first, I just needed rest and an opportunity for quiet thought. The practitioner and I focused on one statement of Truth at a time, until it became tangible and real to me, replacing any fear that might linger regarding materia medica’s prophecy. My room was lovely and peaceful and allowed me to study and pray in earnest. When I could not sleep at night, the Christian Science nurse on duty would read to me from Mrs. Eddy’s writings. Sometimes we sang hymns together until my thought quieted down and I could find peace.
Being at Sunrise is more than appears on the surface. Christian Science is not just an alternative method for affecting a physical healing. Seen in the right light, it demands the relinquishment of all beliefs in a mortal existence apart from God. I knew that as long as I thought of myself as a mortal, with a mortal history, I would be open to mortal mind’s fictionalized version of existence and all it included.
The belief that I had been through a terrible experience, that I had let everyone down, that parts of me still needed healing—all were phases of mortal belief. I was at Sunrise for understanding and clarity. It provided an atmosphere in which Truth could operate, and the man of God’s creation could appear. I saw the kindnesses, the food, the flowers, and the love as totally metaphysical in nature.
And I gained the understanding that there is no such thing as a personal healing. All true healings in Christian Science are infinite in their blessings and as universal in their nature as God Himself. In Science and Health, we read, “The ‘still, small voice’ of scientific thought reaches over continent and ocean to the globe’s remotest bound. The inaudible voice of Truth is, to the human mind, ‘as when a lion roareth.’ It is heard in the desert and in dark places of fear (559:8-12). We cannot always tell who or what will be touched by Love’s unfoldment, but we can be sure of its effect.
While at Sunrise, I regained my ability to walk and increased in self-sufficiency within what appeared, to many, to be a very short time. I was soon able to return home and, with the help of a dedicated Christian Science nurse, to re-establish a normal routine. I have now returned to work. Every day continues to bring with it a deeper unfoldment of the true nature of God’s being, and His tender, loving care.
– G. G.
