Several years ago I experienced a healing from which I learned many lessons, one of them being the meaning of moral courage. The experience also illustrated for me the need of daily, consecrated, prayerful work. Doing this work is like depositing money in a bank. The money is always there to be drawn upon when needed, as are the spiritual truths stored up in our consciousness through prayer.
One morning, after I thought I had lighted the oven, I realized there was no flame. I struck a match; there was an explosion, and my clothing caught fire. Immediately the words, "And the bush was not consumed" (Ex. 3:2), came to my thought. The incident of Moses and the burning bush had the previous week been in the Bible Lesson from the Quarterly. At once the fire went out. The clothing about my neck crumbled away; my hair was partly burned away; and my face, neck, hand, and arm were badly burned.
This occurred on a morning when I had an assignment which would further the Cause of Christian Science. I knew, however, that when I was due to leave in about an hour I would be able to do so. A friend who is a Christian Science practitioner was telephoned to and asked to support me by prayer. This help was lovingly and effectively given; within about fifteen minutes all sense of shock had been overcome, but the pain was still intense. I spoke to the practitioner again, and she said that I could expect to be free from that too. And after the first half hour I had no pain at all.
