Article December 28, 2015 Issue

Freedom from shin splints

Katie Swarts

I’m an athlete. I love expressing freedom and dominion, as well as seeing it expressed all around me. I’ve played water polo, soccer, and softball, and I love playing on teams, as well as coaching.

A couple of years ago, I had been struggling with shin splints on and off for a few years. As an athlete, this had been a big problem. It had severely limited me. I tried stretching, which turned out to be a temporary fix; the shin splints went away for a while, but then came back. During my first semester of college, I was playing on the women’s soccer team. I’d been out of practices for several weeks because my legs hurt too much to run, and sometimes even to walk. I sat on the side, watching my teammates have all the fun.

While I was sitting out, I prayed and sang my favorite hymn, Number 139 from the Christian Science Hymnal. It starts out, “I walk with Love along the way.” I tailored it to my situation and thought, even while running and playing soccer, I run, knowing Love is with me. Divine Love is omnipotent and ever present. I am the complete expression of divine Love. The hymn goes on to say,

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