More than a year ago, I had a painful condition involving my foot. It had been bothering me for a few weeks and hurt so much that I could hardly walk. During this time, I prayed daily the better to see myself as God’s perfect reflection, remembering Jesus’ statement, “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:48).
After a few more weeks, I woke up one morning and my foot was especially troubling me. It was a day when I was scheduled to volunteer at a pet adoption event about 60 miles away.
It was a beautiful sunny day, so I decided to ride my motorcycle. All the way to the event my foot was painful, and I began to question the wisdom of taking such a trip. I made it to the event and worked for several hours, sitting down as often as I could. But as the pain really started getting to me, I headed home.
On the ride home on my motorcycle, the sun was shining, the air was warm, the motor was humming, and I relaxed into that unique, peaceful state of mind that I get from riding my bike. You could say that I had gone into my “closet” of thought, just as Jesus described (see Matthew 6:6). I was alone with God in my consciousness and reached out to Him for healing. I expressed my love and appreciation for the beautiful day, the wonderful dogs and cats that had been a part of the adoption event, the generous workers at the event, the kind people who came to look at the animals, and the company that let us hold the event at their store.
As I rode down the interstate, full of gratitude, I remembered a quote from Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy, which was especially meaningful to me: “If we look to the body for pleasure, we find pain; for Life, we find death; for Truth, we find error; for Spirit, we find its opposite, matter. Now reverse this action. Look away from the body into Truth and Love, the Principle of all happiness, harmony, and immortality. Hold thought steadfastly to the enduring, the good, and the true, and you will bring these into your experience proportionably to their occupancy of your thoughts” (pp. 260–261).
Encouraged by those words, I acknowledged that as God’s image and likeness, I was a spiritual idea. Because God made my life entirely spiritual, matter had nothing to do with my happiness or well-being. With that realization, my heart became overwhelmed with gratitude and love for divine Life and life’s lessons. I was steeped in a sense of peace and oneness with the Father, God, and felt in complete harmony with His universe—knowing that “All is well” (Mary Peters, adapted, Christian Science Hymnal, No. 350).
Soon after these prayers, I arrived home, got off my bike, and found that my foot was completely fine. The pain and difficulty in walking have not returned. I’ll never forget that simple example of being in the closet of my thinking, feeling God’s presence, experiencing His love and care for me, and walking away free.
McCaysville, Georgia, US
