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).
The armor I was seeking right then was a shield from suggestions trying to convince me that I had fallen out of God’s ever-present care. So I quietly listened for inspiration. As various truths from the Bible, the Christian Science Hymnal, and Mary Baker Eddy’s writings came into thought, I contemplated and prayed with them until another inspiration came along. As I ran, I appreciated that the other runners on the course, the volunteers, and the spectators could be blessed by the prayerful thoughts I was entertaining.
Praying in this way, I finished the 13.1-mile run feeling more refreshed than I have ever felt after a race of any length. But my hand looked ugly and still hurt a lot. As I walked through the area for race finishers, a few workers asked if I wanted medical attention. Still confident in the prayerful approach, I thanked them for their concern and let them know I was all set.
When I returned to my hotel, I had the opportunity to sit with my Bible and copy of Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy and quietly pray. This line from Science and Health stood out to me: “The harmony and immortality of man are intact” (p. 521). I realized I can’t be separated from harmony or immortality. No event or condition can separate me from God, infinite Mind. He formed me in His image, and because He is unchanging, so is my identity.
My husband and I were traveling the next day to visit family, and I felt I needed the prayerful support of a Christian Science practitioner, so I called one to pray for me. Each day, I was able to share with gratitude greater freedom of movement and ebbing discomfort as I participated in the family activities—playing with my young granddaughter, getting her in and out of her car seat, and helping with cooking and laundry.
In less than a week, my hand returned to its normal size, and movement was normal. However, there was still some discoloration and a spot where a bone did not seem to be in correct alignment.
I turned to the Bible for inspiration and read the account of Moses throwing down his staff and seeing it turn into a snake (see Exodus 4:2–4). When Moses took the snake by the tail, it didn’t turn into a seed that became a sapling and finally a tree sturdy enough to be cut into a staff. It was instantly in the form in which it needed to be. As God’s reflection, we are forever perfect and whole, and I reasoned I could expect such absolute restoration for my hand as I better understood this truth.
Within a day or so my hand was completely back to normal in every way. The entire healing had taken just over a week.
I am profoundly grateful for this experience. It is a tremendous comfort to know I can always turn to God, ever-present Love, and expect healing. I am also grateful for Christian Science, which shows my relationship to God to be full of joy and brings practical, powerful healing results.
