My husband and I were both brought up in the Christian Science Sunday School, and we are now very thankful that our four children are enjoying this same opportunity. We have experienced many demonstrations of the blessings of Christian Science in all aspects of our family life.
I should like to relate one experience that has meant a great deal to us as a family. Five years ago a very heavy object fell onto our youngest son's foot. He was in his stocking feet. My husband and I rushed to him when we heard his screams. I picked him up and began declaring the truth aloud to him, as we are taught to do in Christian Science.
As soon as his screaming subsided, he wanted to see the foot that was hit. Very quickly my husband replied that he didn't think the child had to look at it and said: "See, Mother doesn't feel that she has to look at it. You don't have to look either. I will clean it up, and you two just go on declaring the truth."
My husband removed the sock from the boy's foot and told me later that he had found a large piece of the first joint of one toe, including the nail and a piece of the bone, in the sock. The piece was not reattached. The toe next to that one was badly crushed.
The little fellow said almost at once, "I'm only seven and a half years old, and why did this have to happen to me?" I went on declaring the truth and the powerlessness of accident when he asked the same question again, and I knew I had to find the answer. I said to myself, "Dear God, You'll have to give me the answer for this child of Yours."
These words came immediately to my thought, and I repeated them:
"Mark, dear, you say that you are only seven and a half years old, but you are about to see Christian Science demonstrated in a way you will never forget. It will strengthen you always." This satisfied him completely, and he wanted to go upstairs and read the books, as he calls the Bible and our Christian Science books.
My husband and I read to him and sang with him, going over all the passages he loves to use from the Bible, from Science and Health by Mrs. Eddy, and from the Christian Science Hymnal. Then we took out the Concordances to Mrs. Eddy's writings and looked up references together. He really enjoyed this. There were times when the pain was severe, but it was quickly overcome. Finally he wanted to go to sleep. When we put him to bed, he was his laughing, sweet self, expectant of healing and joyful.
Soon after he was asleep, he began screaming. We could not awaken him, and I said to my husband: "He is not aware of this screaming, why should we awaken him to this false picture? We are the ones who have to have this cleared up completely in our own thinking now. When he went to sleep he was free." We both felt the need of some support at this point, and we called a practitioner, who helped us very much and worked prayerfully with Mark over the next weeks. The crying stopped as soon as we called the practitioner, and the boy slept quietly all night.
The next day we asked a Christian Science nurse to show my husband how to bandage the foot most efficiently. It was so comforting to know that she could give this help without showing any undue concern, just radiating the same expectancy of good that the boy was expressing so beautifully. She told him of the healing of another boy she had known, and her cheerful help was another step forward in this demonstration.
I must give a great deal of credit to my husband for the marvelous stand that he took at this time. Later, he told me that it had not always been easy in view of the human picture, but he was a great help. The next few days proved so clearly to us the words from Isaiah (11:6), "And a little child shall lead them."
Our son truly led us as he worked with the practitioner and us in the unfoldment of this proof of God's care for His children. Certain of our hymns were very helpful to us, and we sang them often. On the following Wednesday evening Hymn No. 324 was sung at the testimony meeting, and the second verse gave us just the little spiritual boost we seemed to need right then, as we are so often boosted at these Wednesday services. The verse begins.
Take my feet, and let them be
Swift and beautiful for Thee.
Our prayers were not for specific material things, such as toes, nails, bone, and so on. We expected to see the human manifestation resulting from the understanding of man in God's image and likeness and the understanding of true substance.
In a very few days the young man was getting around with no discomfort at all. We got bigger shoes to allow for the bandage and he went back to school. His foot was stepped on once, and we worked more to know that God's creation is protected by divine Love always. This never happened again.
We continuously worked to see the boy's completeness and beauty in God's image and likeness, knowing nothing could be taken away from his perfection or could mar it in any way. Within two months the healing was complete in every way. A new end and nail had grown on the severed toe. As our son says now, "I can't even remember which foot it was, unless I stop and think about it."
Our whole family has been blessed by this experience. The other children were as impressed as Mark by this wonderful proof of God's loving care and perfect work. We were all strengthened by the renewed assurance that God's child cannot be touched by accident.
Mere words seem trite to express my gratitude for God; for our dear Master, Christ Jesus; for our revered Leader who has given the wonderful gift of Christian Science to the world; and for the workers, such as our practitioners and nurses, who give so unselfishly of themselves in helping others. The privilege of membership in The Mother Church and a branch Church of Christ, Scientist, and the opportunity to have class instruction, along with the inspiration afforded by our annual association meeting, are among my cherished blessings.
Portage, Michigan
