When an accident, injury, or ailment seems imminent, we can at once turn to God. Looking beyond the evidence of the physical senses to the realm of Spirit, we apprehend the kingdom of God, where harmony and well-being prevail. This spiritual view heals.

Paul instructed the Corinthians to lift their thoughts above material appearances when he wrote to them, "We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord."

In Christian Science, to be "absent from the body" is not to ignore the bodily condition or human suffering but to affirm that physicality could not possibly be the real man, who is made in God's image. And if we are willing rather "to be present with the Lord" in our consciousness, we begin to see more clearly that the real man is spiritual, perfect, and healthy because God Himself is Spirit—perfect and healthy forever. This divine truth, accepted and understood, brings the human condition into harmony with God's government, saving and healing us.

If we free ourselves from the conviction that an injury, accident, or ailment is part of man, we have every right to expect to be preserved blameless and free from any accident or ailment—something the real man, the spiritual idea of God, cannot have. And even if we have been ill or injured, we can reverse these conditions through our understanding of divine law and progressively free ourselves from illness, thereby freeing ourselves from the consequences of illness or accident, including physical and psychological evidence of an accident or ailment.

When Christ Jesus told the scribes and Pharisees in the temple on the Mount of Olives, "Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free," he was referring to the divine idea of Truth, which reveals the nature of God and of the real man, the spiritual image and likeness of God, perfect as God Himself. Christ, Truth, heals. It is the most powerful healing agent, bringing into our lives that absolute power which is God. Christ, the true idea of being, working in our consciousness, purges, purifies, regenerates, and uplifts, with corresponding effects on the body and in every human experience. Christ frees us from infirmity and all afflictions. Furthermore, we can trust that the idea of Truth heals quickly, as we are told in Hebrews: "The word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow."

The effect of beginning from the inconsistent position of praying to God but with a wholly materialistic sense of our identity, is explained in Science and Health: "When an accident happens, you think or exclaim, 'I am hurt!' Your thought is more powerful than your words, more powerful than the accident itself, to make the injury real." Throughout this book Mrs. Eddy explains how we can protect ourselves from accidents and illness. By following these teachings daily, people in all parts of the world are proving the truth of this Science of Christ. This Science makes clear the necessity of turning instantly away from any evidence of discord to its exact opposite, and this always leads us to the divine Mind, God, where harmony and well-being prevail.

An instance of this occurred in my own experience recently. I was standing on a stepladder, perched on steeply slanting ground under an apple tree. As I reached up to pluck an apple, I was astounded to find that the apple seemed to be retreating from my grasp. I reached farther, but the apple was still out of reach, and I began to fall. It happened so fast that I had no time to plan a course of action. But while I continued looking upward, I quickly turned to God, to tell me what I needed to do. From long experience I had a solid conviction and implicit trust that somehow God could and would direct me. He did, and His direction proved to be unerring.

As it became clear that the ladder was going down, I let go of it and fell alongside of it onto the ground. My daughter, seeing the whole incident, later told me that I did a complete flip-flop. Two legs of the ladder were broken and the rest of the ladder was twisted out of shape, but I was unhurt; I was not even bruised. Right then and there I thanked God for directing me and preserving me unharmed, intact.

You could say that I learned a valuable lesson: to exercise more care in how and where I place a ladder. But a far more precious lesson was this added proof, like many other proofs I have had, of God's love for all His children and His unfailing help for us when we prayerfully submit ourselves wholly to His direction. Divine Mind's care and direction are flawless, always coming in such a way as to meet the human need.

The powerful healing and protecting effect of the right response to each situation can be seen in the thousands of testimonies given every Wednesday in Christian Science churches everywhere, and in the Christian Science periodicals—such as this magazine—which include contemporary accounts of healings. These healings are proof of Mrs. Eddy's fidelity to Jesus' teachings and healings and the correctness of the Christ Science she discovered. This Science reveals the spiritual nature of Jesus' glorious mission for mankind. It shows us the way he trod and explains how we can walk that way too.

Metaphysical treatment and prayer for the sick in Jesus' way are based on the fundamental truth that man is made in the image of God, as we are told in the first chapter of the Bible. God is Spirit; therefore man, God's likeness, must be spiritual and cannot be material. God, Spirit, has all power over everything in the universe, maintaining order and harmony throughout His kingdom. God exercises complete control and government consistent with His holy purposes and divine laws. Nothing can slip out of or be forced out of His control. To understand this brings healing, and we see that no one is beyond the pale of God's presence, care, and love.

When faced with accident or illness, we can instantly turn to God, affirming His total and constant control of the entire universe down to the tiniest detail. By this simple means we set aside material law and nullify the effects of beliefs that have no basis in spiritual fact.

Thou, child, shalt be called
the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt
go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways; ...
whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us,
to give light to them that sit in darkness
and in the shadow of death, to guide
our feet into the way of peace.

Luke 1:76, 78, 79