One morning, a Christian Science practitioner received a message from someone who apparently had been severely hurt by a very heavy piece of machinery falling on him. The neighbor who conveyed the message said the man had managed to crawl free but was lying on the ground semiconscious.
Instantly, the practitioner saw that the real, spiritual man's life, strength, and freedom are never in matter and so cannot be endangered or destroyed by matter. She sent a reassuring message to the patient and then opened Science and Health, where she read Mrs. Eddy's words: "That Life is God, Jesus proved by his reappearance after the crucifixion in strict accordance with his scientific statement: 'Destroy this temple [body], and in three days I [Spirit] will raise it up.' It is as if he had said: The I—the Life, substance, and intelligence of the universe—is not in matter to be destroyed."Science and Health, p.27; As she read the last sentence, she found herself joyfully declaring aloud, "That's it!"
A few minutes later, the one involved in the accident telephoned to report that at the very moment the first call was made, he fully regained consciousness and instantly felt greatly strengthened. He was soon able to walk to his car and drive home, where he rested for a while. Later in the afternoon, he returned to work and was as active and alert as usual.
This experience illustrates how prayer in Christian Science can heal the effects of accidents.
In Christian Science we learn that God is the all-knowing Mind; therefore man— His image and likeness—cannot be conscious of anything that is outside the scope of God's knowledge. Mrs. Eddy writes in Science and Health, "Accidents are unknown to God, or immortal Mind, and we must leave the mortal basis of belief and unite with the one Mind, in order to change the notion of chance to the proper sense of God's unerring direction and thus bring out harmony."ibid., p.424;
Accidents and their apparent effects, then, are but illusions rooted in "the mortal basis of belief." But illusions can seem real and one needs to be spiritually alert not to be deceived by the blatant and often strident claims of the material senses. Then, should a report or an experience of an accident come to one's attention, he will not react with fear, shock, or resentment. Instead, he will instantly and prayerfully turn away from discord to God, the source of all harmony.
This does not mean he will ignore the human situation. Far from it, for turning to God in prayer not only opens thought to the healing power of divine Love but also guides one to take whatever practical steps are most helpful. Drawing its evidence from God, good, immortal Spirit, instead of from matter, Christian Science shows that in the infinitude of Spirit there can be nothing that is harmful.
Confronted by accident, one needs to recognize steadfastly the facts of true being, namely that Spirit, God, being All, matter is not a reality but an erroneous belief in substance as something other than Spirit. Even as there is no evil in good and no darkness in light, there cannot be matter in Spirit. Spirit, Life, is the substance of all being. Christ Jesus declared, "It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life."John 6:63;
Reasoning from the premise of the allness of Spirit, infinite good, one recognizes that the contrary evidence can be corrected. God's allness does not leave room for anything else. This recognition frees from fear. No one is afraid of good. An injurious accident is certainly not good, therefore however real it seems, it is a false, mesmeric belief.
Right where the material senses are registering injury, shock, or other phases of inharmony, right there the truth of being is present to destroy these distressing beliefs. Such an assurance will also guide one to deal in the most effective way with damage to material objects and to gain restoration or full compensation through the direction of infinite Mind, divine Love.
Instant recognition of the spiritual facts has often prevented any adverse effects from accident, but if an injury seems to have been sustained, it can be quickly healed through effective prayer. This involves refutation of the error of mortality and affirmation of man's true being as the indestructible reflection of Spirit.
It is essential to recognize that fear is causeless, for God, divine Life and Love, is eternally present and His power protects, enfolds, and frees from all claims of evil. God is man's Life. God, Spirit, cannot be touched by matter; neither can man, God's reflection.
As divine Mind's spiritual idea, man is intact, complete, and cannot be deprived of any good. He does not rely on matter for life, nor is his activity dependent upon organs, muscles, or bones. Man is spiritual, not material, and is governed by God, the one and only Mind. Therefore no conditions of matter can take away his life or his well-being, or interfere with his activity. Nothing has separated him from his source of harmony in Soul and nothing can do so.
The law of ever-present good annuls and annihilates any claim of infection or other fear-filled, man-made beliefs. There can be no condition under which man does not express God, unchanging divine Principle. Omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent Mind is man's Mind, his consciousness; therefore he cannot become unconscious; nor can he be fooled by aggressive mental suggestions of pain or disability. In one of her sermons, Mrs. Eddy says, "A dream calleth itself a dreamer, but when the dream has passed, man is seen wholly apart from the dream."Christian Healing, p.11;
Man is not in the dream of accident, nor can such a dream be in him. The dream of accident may call itself an injured mortal, but right there the Christ, Truth, is present, revealing man's eternal perfection. This realization protects one from the anxious thoughts of those around him. Truth is stronger than error. Man, the reflection, or idea, of infinite Mind, is always whole and free. One can know this, rejoice in his freedom, and glorify God.
The Psalmist declares: "He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust."Ps. 91:1, 2.
As we recognize the ever-presence and power of God, infinite Love, we will dwell in the consciousness of His ceaseless love and care.
