When I was a child I had two persistent physical problems. One was a lame leg. Doctors and specialists whom my parents consulted said that it could not be treated. Later I had severe nosebleeds that, again, could not be medically treated.
Mother believed in God, and I was taught to ask God to heal me. One night while praying, I thought: God will heal me if I don't ask too much. So I asked God to heal the nosebleeds, and I promised Him I would never again ask for my leg to be healed. I fell asleep with an absolute conviction that my prayer had been answered.
I never again suffered from nosebleeds. (Today, as a Christian Scientist, I know that it was the spiritual conviction and sincerity of that prayer—not my bargaining with God—that brought the healing.) That prayer was not told to my mother, who was happy the nosebleeds had stopped. As I grew older I was able to use my leg in a more normal way. Eventually I just stopped thinking about it, although the complete healing was yet to come.
