WHILE PLAYING in an intramural football game at graduate school, I had just slid feet-first in an attempt to catch a pass thrown from behind me. Suddenly a player on the other team landed on my ankle with his full weight. It wouldn't have been a pleasant occurrence under any circumstance, but this fellow happened to be wearing track spikes, and one of the spikes was driven like a nail into the center of my ankle bone.
By the time I drove to my quarters less than a mile away, I could barely walk. My landlord, a retired missionary and very compassionate man, insisted on examining my ankle when he saw me limp into the house. He had been a political prisoner in China for several years and had seen many injuries inflicted on himself and his fellow prisoners by their captors. He was quite certain that my ankle was broken and that there was a serious risk of blood poisoning. I thanked him for his concern, but assured him that I was praying about it and expected healing. He respected my desire to rely on God for healing.
By this time, the joint in my ankle had ceased to function. I couldn't move my ankle at all, and the pain was excruciating. I washed the wound and taped some gauze over it. I stayed off this foot as much as possible, dragging it along when I did have to walk. I didn't seek medical care for two reasons. I had had other significant healings through relying on Christian Science in the past. And the last time I had had medical attention, for a double dislocation of a finger (from playing football no less), the finger didn't heal properly and caused me much pain over a long period of time. I really wanted a complete and quick healing for this ankle injury and I knew that was entirely possible through Christian Science.
