I WAS RAISED IN A HOME where we relied on Christian Science treatment to heal our problems. Our parents took us to the Christian Science Sunday School where I learned about the all-loving God, who is Love itself. I knew I could trust Love's constant care of me. As a young boy, through my mother's prayer, I had experienced spiritual healing of an extremely painful ear infection. When in grade school, I had also successfully healed a burn on my finger through my own prayers. So I felt pretty confident that God could always help and heal me.
As a teenager, while playing football with some friends, I severely sprained my ankle. It quickly swelled up. The pain was so intense I couldn't walk on the foot at all. I had to be carried home. I called Christian Science practitioner to pray with me for healing. She gave me hymns from the Christian Science Hymnal to read and think about. They mostly had to do with not being afraid because God's power and goodness are always all around me, caring for me and protecting me.
I talked with the practitioner every day and prayed the best I knew how while the practitioner prayed for me, too. I don't recall exactly how I prayed, but I knew I had to overcome the fear that something was terribly wrong with my foot and that I could have a permanent injury. It was very frightening. So my prayer generally had to do with striving to feel God's love and becoming aware that I could never be outside that always-present Love—and consequently I could not be hurt or suffer pain.
