I WAS AT THE OFFICE when I got the call. My eight-year-old daughter, Sarah, had severely injured her ankle. The paramedics had already arrived on the scene, the babysitter told me. She sounded afraid, and asked if I thought Sarah should go to the hospital to have her ankle checked out. Although it is our family's practice to trust in prayer for healing, I felt that under the circumstances, it would be best for Sarah to go to the hospital and have her ankle X-rayed. So I agreed to pick her up and take her there myself.
After I hung up with the sitter, I immediately called a Christian Science practitioner to support my prayers for Sarah. Together, we thought about her innocence and safety from accidents of any kind. Our conviction came from a deeply rooted understanding of Sarah's inseparability from God, her divine Parent, who wants only good for her and who keeps her safe. In fact, I'd found out that my daughter had already taken a stand for her innocence and perfection when she'd announced to the paramedics that she was convinced she would be healed quickly. The practitioner urged me to see Sarah's response as an indication of God's active healing presence—the presence of the Christ. My daughter had glimpsed it—and so could I. This thought removed the fear I'd been feeling.
When I arrived at the sitter's, she told me the whole story. Sarah had been hit by a car while she, my older son, Geoff, and some neighborhood children were riding their bikes to the candy store. The car had hit her back tire, sending her flying off the bike and causing her to land awkwardly on her foot. At first she was unconscious, but she came to shortly after the paramedics arrived.
