Many are familiar with the lines on a tennis court, and know that the two adjacent rectangles closest to the net are called the service boxes. When playing doubles, both players—when coming to the net—generally stay within their “box.” But there’s no rule that says they must stay within that box—or that they can’t cross over into their partner’s box. In fact, the best doubles teams are those that cross back and forth into each other’s spaces, depending on the most effective positioning needed to win the point. However, when you’re just learning the game, those boxes seem to have walls around them. It can feel intimidating to cross over that line.
When it comes to limited thinking, it’s often come to me: How do I get myself outside the proverbial box—a box that comes in many shapes and sizes, sometimes obvious, many times not? I’ve found Christian Science to be so helpful in this regard. The Science of Christianity does have laws and rules. For example, we have the Ten Commandments, the Beatitudes, the Golden Rule, and the By-Laws in our Church Manual written by Mary Baker Eddy. At first look, these rules for living and healing can seem restrictive, complicated, outdated—even irrelevant. But I’ve found that, on the contrary, obedience to them breaks down walls of limitation, allowing me to feel a closer connection to God, the all-powerful divine Mind. And healing inevitably follows.
For almost two years I suffered with terrible pain in one knee. I had no idea what the specific problem might be called, since I chose not to have it diagnosed. Because I’m an athletic person, this pain really cramped my style. It inhibited my ability to play tennis, ski, run, bike, windsurf, and even walk. But I refused to stop participating in these activities and instead endured the discomfort and favored the other leg as I moved about. I prayed about this from many different angles, drawing on what I’ve learned through the study of Christian Science. I also enlisted the help of Christian Science practitioners at different times. Sometimes there seemed to be progress, but both the pain and frustration returned.
