Some years ago while at work, and in a great hurry at the time, I caught my fingers in the door of a heavy safe. With my free hand I managed to open the door, but when I looked at the other hand, I knew that I had to do something without delay. This was also the moment pain set in.
As I prayed, Mrs. Eddy's "scientific statement of being" (Science and Health, p. 468) came to mind. I repeated the whole statement, which concludes: "Spirit is God, and man is His image and likeness. Therefore man is not material; he is spiritual." This I repeated audibly several times until the meaning of the words dawned over the claim of pain and I noticed that I was completely free.
I went back to my typewriter. But when I looked at my fingers I was again horrified, and the thought came that I would lose at least some of my fingernails. I realized then that more work needed to be done, and so I continued praying. As I did, the thought came to me that my perfection as God's man was deeply rooted in Truth and Love. And this perfection included every aspect of my being. A great calm came over me, and I found that I could complete all my work without looking at the hand. By evening all trace of the injury had gone. I also never lost any of the nails.
