As a flight attendant, I’m required to make sure all carry-on bags are stowed correctly before takeoff. On a transcontinental flight about two years ago, I twisted my knee suddenly while hastily putting away a bag so that the plane could depart on time.
Sitting in my jump seat for takeoff, I told myself the twinge of pain was nothing to worry about, but as the hours passed, my knee became more painful and swollen. I could barely stand, let alone be ready to respond to any emergency. The captain was notified, and it was decided that if I couldn’t perform my duties, we’d have to divert the plane and land as quickly as possible. With a full plane that was already delayed, this was the last thing I wanted.
I was very new to Christian Science, but I knew I needed to calm myself, not be afraid, and trust what I’d been learning about God’s unfailing care and protection of me.
As I sat quietly in prayer, I had a clear awareness that as a child of God, I was made in His image and likeness—loved and cared for (see Genesis 1:26). I thought about how my relationship with God could not be damaged and could not involve separation. My fears vanished, and the pain subsided enough for me to assure the flight crew that I could continue to carry out my duties. They agreed, and our flight went ahead according to schedule.
Once we landed, in compliance with my company’s policy, I was taken by wheelchair to an emergency clinic for examination. Although I’d made the conscious decision to rely completely on Christian Science for healing, I knew I also needed to be compliant with my company’s policies.
As I waited for the doctor, I called a close friend and Christian Science practitioner for prayerful help. He encouraged me not to be afraid and assured me that although I appeared to be injured, I was, in fact, the image of Spirit, God—conceived and formed as a spiritual idea, not a material being.
He also encouraged me to continue praying with the thought of God’s ever-presence and to trust that I was surrounded by God’s love. I was eagerly receptive to these statements and confidently held them in my thought.
The physician then made the preliminary examination of my leg and told me my knee was badly damaged and that I could not go back to work. He directed me to return home, where my employer’s policy required that I be examined by a workers’ compensation physician. I turned my thought away from the diagnosis and pain, and instead focused on my true spiritual identity as God’s child.
Going home, I was given an entire row to recline on for a flight that is normally 100 percent full. I saw this unexpected comfort as evidence of God’s love for me, because it allowed me to better concentrate on my prayers.
The next day, the Christian Science practitioner accompanied me when I went to see the workers’ compensation doctor. It was helpful to have a friend there supporting me. The doctor examined my knee and said I’d likely torn my meniscus cartilage. He said that my knee would probably require surgery and might never function perfectly again. He then took scans in order to assess the full extent of the damage.
When the doctor left, my friend explained that the doctor was trying to treat only the material condition, and while the doctor was free to state his opinion, I had the right to allow only truth into my thinking and follow Mary Baker Eddy’s directive: “Stand porter at the door of thought” (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 392).
I knew I had the ability, and duty, to know what was real and true—that in God, my life is perfect and unharmed. My friend also reminded me I could stay with the thought of God’s perfect love and see this as a wonderful opportunity to prove what I’d been learning in Christian Science. He added that I could expect complete healing. I went home and continued to pray along those lines, filling my thought with truths about myself as God’s perfect spiritual daughter.
The next day we returned to the doctor’s office to hear the results of the MRI scans. After examining the results of the scans, the doctor said it was a miracle—there was no evidence of torn cartilages; he’d never seen an injury like mine that didn’t require surgery and months of recovery. I left the facility with much gratitude.
Returning home, I did not take any of the prescribed medications the doctor offered in case of pain, and I continued to rely on Christian Science prayer for healing. As I kept praying, the swelling and pain rapidly diminished. After a couple of days of working with the practitioner, I let go of any lingering concerns about my knee and confidently understood the spiritual fact that my health was whole and intact. Soon after this realization, all swelling and tenderness completely disappeared.
At the subsequent required medical exam almost two weeks later, the doctor declared that I was free from any damage and was cleared to return to my full and active flight attendant job (after a required two-week leave).
At no time during this experience was I afraid, but instead I felt complete trust in God’s healing messages. I returned to work and my full, normal tasks—pushing heavy service carts through airplane aisles and helping passengers get settled. Now, almost two years later, I’ve enjoyed complete freedom from any effects of this incident.
I am so grateful for this healing because it has brought me closer in understanding God’s unlimited love for me.
Mar Vista, California, US
I’m the Christian Science practitioner, and now husband, mentioned in the testimony above. We prayed to know that Mary Beth’s true employment was in reflecting God’s qualities, and nothing could interfere with that. We also addressed any sense of guilt, blame, and personal responsibility that she felt about the injury by recognizing that as God’s child, her true existence is in Spirit and therefore no mortal incident could have ever harmed her.
We then put to rest the notion that she’d done something harmful to herself, by seeing that she couldn’t be penalized for serving others and for doing good. We also saw that her health could not be limited by a lengthy recovery time and focused on the fact of her God-derived and timeless perfection. We strongly affirmed that the truths we recognized for her in this situation would be made manifest in clear and tangible results, for we knew “as in heaven, so on earth,—God is omnipotent, supreme” (Science and Health, p. 17).
Mary Beth’s receptivity, trust in God, willingness to discover more about her relationship to God, and her unfailing expectancy to see the demonstration of ever-present good, was a joy to be around. I’m especially grateful to have witnessed her healing and happily report that she continues to work as a flight attendant in full health, as we both expected.
Mar Vista, California, US
