One Friday last October during my usual slow run, I fell. I had slick shoes on and the pavement was wet. My foot slipped off a curb and misplaced the balance of my body. I slammed down on my left elbow and knee. Pain and instant swelling of the arm resulted.
I'm a member of the United Methodist Church, but I had been visiting a Christian Science church all summer and fall in order to understand Christian healing better. The members have been so helpful in answering questions and explaining concepts. I had also been studying the Bible Lessons from the Christian Science Quarterly and been receiving insights from other Christian Science literature and from hearing testimonies of healing at church. I decided to apply what I knew of spiritual healing to this injury. A couple of minor cuts healed quickly. I also called a Christian Science practitioner I had become acquainted with. She agreed to pray for me.
The next morning, though, I went to the doctor, in case prayer didn't work! For insurance purposes, any necessary X-rays and doctor visits had to occur in the first twenty-four hours after an accident. The doctor felt the elbow was broken and sent me to the hospital for X-rays. I was told the hospital would develop and read the X-rays immediately, and that if they didn't call, my elbow probably was just sprained.
