About a year ago, I was out on an afternoon bicycle ride. While I normally ride at a brisk pace, I was riding faster than usual, pushing myself to get the ride completed in time to fulfill an unexpected evening obligation that had arisen earlier that day. As I quickly approached a bend in the bike path, I rode off the edge of the pavement. The tires slipped in the loose dirt and gravel, and my bicycle went out from under me. I fell hard, landing on my right side and hitting my head on the ground. (I was wearing a helmet.)
I don’t know how long I lay there. When I slowly sat up and began to stand, I was tempted to check for broken bones and “road rash” (a cyclist’s term for skin abrasions). However, I am a lifelong Christian Scientist, and I quickly thought of a phrase from Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy: “Rise in the conscious strength of the spirit of Truth to overthrow the plea of mortal mind …” (pp. 390–391). I realized that checking for injuries would be answering “the plea of mortal mind,” and that was not the method of treatment I wanted to follow. It would have been similar to seeking a medical examination, and I knew the condition did not need a diagnosis or name. Instead, I could turn wholeheartedly to God in prayer.
My bicycle appeared to be undamaged, and a quick look around indicated no one had witnessed my fall. I thought about getting back on my bicycle and continuing, but my right side hurt and I was feeling woozy. So I kept praying quietly. Mrs. Eddy writes, “Consciousness, as well as action, is governed by Mind …” (Science and Health, p. 480). I affirmed that my consciousness and my actions were governed by Mind, God, not matter. After a few minutes of praying, I slowly started to ride the remaining six miles home.
