Last fall, I ran a half marathon. It was a very windy day—even portable toilets and mile markers were upended by the wind. During the third mile of the race, a gust of wind blew another runner into me, and I fell to the ground. I landed on one of my hands on a lane reflector on the street. The runner who had hit me kept running, but a couple of others stopped to help me up. One of them looked at my hand, said it seemed broken, and suggested I go right to the medical tent. Because I have seen many times the effectiveness of scientific prayer, I decided to address the situation through Christian Science rather than medical means.
I figured I had ten more miles of the race to finish, so I could enjoy the time communing with God. I started by reaching out to divine Love to feel its supportive, tender ever-presence. I reasoned I could never have fallen from God’s care or love. As I did, I found myself able to forgive the runner who had knocked me over and hadn’t stopped. However, the pain in my hand was intense.
I asked God for help, and this line from the writings of Mary Baker Eddy came to thought: “Good thoughts are an impervious armor; clad therewith you are completely shielded from the attacks of error of every sort. And not only yourselves are safe, but all whom your thoughts rest upon are thereby benefited” (The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany, p. 210).
