One day I was having a pleasant telephone conversation with a friend when a man knocked on our door. He identified himself as a local police detective, and he asked me to accompany him to the scene of an accident that had occurred on the next street. Our eight-year-old daughter, Jennifer, had collided with a moving car while riding her bicycle, and neighbors had apparently given the police my address. My first thought was that God's child can never be separated from God's care, and holding to this thought enabled me to go calmly to my daughter, who was drifting in and out of consciousness.
A police officer told me that they were ready to transport the child to the nearest hospital, as they thought she had a broken collarbone, head injuries, and possible internal injuries. I thanked them for their concern but stated that we were Christian Scientists and would like to return home and handle the situation through prayer. At that point the police officers showed me the car that had hit our daughter. The windshield had been broken, and the metal around the glass was dented. The police reasoned that it would be impossible for a car to be so damaged in a collision with a human being without causing serious injury to that person.
However, I felt very sure that reliance on God's care was the safest and quickest help for our daughter, and I repeated my desire to take her home. I was aware that bystanders, including neighbors, were taken aback at this. The driver of the car involved came up to me, and I was surprised when I realized that he attended our church. He kindly offered to help us to our house. On the way home I assured him that all was well.
