A quick healing of a football injury
Sweat. Adrenaline. The football turf beneath my cleats. We were mid-game, and it was my job to rush the back line and stop one of the other team’s linebackers before he could read the play and pursue the ball.
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“Down!” yelled our quarterback. “Set. Go. Go!”
I was leaning forward so I could shoot out low and quick as soon as the ball snapped. I darted for the back line and knew just the guy I had to block. But as I ran past the front line, I was struck in the knee by another player. I fell to the ground, face mask in the turf.
Thinking of my body spiritually, I could see it as woven together and held intact by a consistent thread of perfection.
I was dealing with a lot of pain in my left leg, but with a little encouragement from my coach, I was able to get up and get off the field. My thoughts immediately went to what I’ve learned in the Christian Science Sunday School, and I knew that through prayer I could be healed quickly.
As I was sitting there praying, my dad—who had been watching the game—sent me a message that really helped. It was a passage from Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy: “The divine Science of man is woven into one web of consistency without seam or rent” (p. 242).
If I were thinking about my body from a physical standpoint, it would seem like it’s made up of parts that can be torn or broken. But I’ve learned that each of us is actually spiritual, whole, and perfect, because God created us this way and keeps us this way. This passage from Science and Health helped me by reinforcing exactly that fact. Thinking of my body spiritually, I could see it as woven together and held intact by a consistent thread of perfection. Nothing about me could be torn or ripped, because I was protected by God’s steadfast love and care.
During our next football practice, I felt free to move normally and prepare for our district match with my team.
This was very comforting, and in about 15 minutes the pain was almost gone and I was ready to get back on the field. We won the game and moved on to prepare for our district match the following week.
I was very happy that we won, but my leg still wasn’t totally back to normal, and I felt a little afraid of going back out on the field. So I let my parents know and we all prayed together.
My dad was praying with a passage that had helped him find healing when he’d dislocated his hip in high school, and he shared it with me: “Mind is the source of all movement, and there is no inertia to retard or check its perpetual and harmonious action” (Science and Health, p. 283). Just like it was helpful to think of my body spiritually, it was helpful to think of movement from a totally spiritual standpoint. I realized that since Mind, God, is the only source of movement, nothing could stop me from moving freely. Also, nothing could keep me from moving forward—from making progress or being healed.
The fear I’d been feeling about going back on the field disappeared, and during our next football practice I felt free to move normally and prepare for districts with my team. I haven’t had any problems since and am very grateful for this quick healing.