ONE EVENING in December 2007, I pulled a bubbling chicken casserole out of the oven. As I set the hot dish down on the counter, the boiling gravy splashed and covered my entire forearm and back of my hand. Immediately I thought, "There is no sensation in matter," a phrase from Science and Health (p. 237). I quickly wiped off my arm and hand and wrapped them in gauze so I wouldn't have to look at the severity of the condition. Then I thought: What happens if I feel pain? As soon as I thought that, the pain started. Next thought: What happens if it's third-degree burns? Then the symptoms of third-degree burns started to appear. (The gauze kept slipping down so I couldn't help but see the condition of my arm and hand as I adjusted the gauze).
I sat down for a moment and thought, I had no pain until I wondered about the pain, and I had no symptoms of a burn until I thought about it. Well, that kind of thinking needs to stop now! It had been almost 20 years since I had spoken to a Christian Science practitioner—not because I was healing myself on my own, but because I had stepped aside from the path of Christian Science practice for many years. Having been raised in Christian Science, I had decided to leave it because I felt that it took too much effort to practice it. It was just easier to go with the flow. Granted, I didn't use medical care either, except one or two times for minor problems, but the results were never what I would call complete healing like I remembered having in Christian Science while growing up. But when that boiling sauce splashed onto my arm, what was the first thought that came to mind? A phrase from Science and Health!
So I called a practitioner who encouraged me to continue with my initial affirmation about matter having no sensation. We discussed the fact that a burn or any effects from a burn had no reality in God's creation. I could either believe that a bad result could manifest itself in matter or I could experience healing by applying what I knew in Christian Science. I chose the latter, and began praying with ideas from "the scientific statement of being" in Science and Health (see p. 468), which I knew so well from my earlier connection with Christian Science. The pain went away immediately. Although some symptoms of a third-degree burn were still apparent, I continued in my prayer, including the affirmation that there also didn't have to be scarring.
