While leading a group of students on a trip to Iceland, I tripped and fell, catching the fall with one of my hands. My wrist hurt, but I immediately thought of “the scientific statement of being” from Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy (p. 468). This passage, read at the end of each Sunday service at Churches of Christ, Scientist, was a ready and welcome comfort, leading my thought away from a focus on matter—the condition of my wrist—to the substance of Spirit, God.
However, as the day went on, my wrist and hand swelled and became more painful and unusable. I held my hand close to me and carried on with the hike we had planned for the group that day. At one point, I used my other hand to assist a student who was struggling when we needed to scramble over rocks.
I finally realized I needed to step aside from the group and pray more diligently about this. I thought, “Here I am on a mountainside in a faraway place, but I will try texting a Christian Science practitioner for help.” I did so and immediately received the most loving response, over the many miles to this remote place, assuring me that the practitioner would be happy to pray for me. He also sent this statement from Science and Health: “Matter can make no conditions for man” (p. 120).
