Testimony of Healing January 30, 1989 Issue

One day about fifteen years ago, the car I was driving was hit...

Virginia P. Marquardt

One day about fifteen years ago, the car I was driving was hit broadside by a pickup truck that ran a red light at high speed. The windshield of my car shattered, and my face was sprayed with glass. Against my wishes, paramedics took me to a nearby hospital. On the way I prayed and thought of this statement in Science and Health by Mrs. Eddy (p. 424): "Accidents are unknown to God, or immortal Mind, and we must leave the mortal basis of belief and unite with the one Mind, in order to change the notion of chance to the proper sense of God's unerring direction and thus bring out harmony." I held firmly to this thought. I felt convinced that I could not, in truth, be outside God's care. I also acknowledged that, as Science and Health states (p. 200), "Life is, always has been, and ever will be independent of matter; for Life is God, and man is the idea of God, not formed materially but spiritually, and not subject to decay and dust."

When we reached the hospital, I was left alone for about an hour. I used the time to remove pieces of glass from my face and scalp and to affirm steadily my unchanging relationship to God. When a doctor examined me he said that stitches were unnecessary and that I was free to leave the hospital if I could get in touch with a friend to take me home, which I did.

That night I read the Bible and Science and Health and prayed throughout the night. In the morning I went to work as usual, well and refreshed. About a month later, however, I became aware of a small lump on my chin. A piece of glass had penetrated and was under the skin. Several ways to get rid of the piece of glass occurred to me, but then a statement from Science and Health came to me very clearly (p. 463): "A spiritual idea has not a single element of error, and this truth removes properly whatever is offensive." I considered this truth from time to time, but since the condition was not noticeable and no pain was connected with it, I would forget about it for long periods of time.