My family has had many healings in Christian Science over the years. Our study and demonstration of its truths have renewed and revolutionized our lives. Here I would like to tell about one recent healing.

One Thursday in the spring of 1991, when I was working in our woods, I carelessly reached down into a mountain laurel bush to clear away some of the weeds that were choking it. I felt a sharp prick on my hand and looked down to see a coiled copperhead snake. I was frightened and jumped back. The two men who were working with me were terribly afraid. We went back to the house as fast as we could.

Trembling with fear, I called a Christian Science practitioner to pray for me. I got my Bible and Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy and tried to pray to calm myself. When a neighbor stopped by, the men told her what had happened. She came right into the house, declaring that I should have a doctor look at the hand. Because I was so frightened, I agreed to let her drive me to a nearby doctor's office.

Our neighbor is very religious—in our area people would say, "She really loves the Lord." She was very quiet during the drive down the mountain, and I was able to get my own thoughts in order and to pray.

When the doctor saw my hand, he strongly recommended that I enter a hospital for several days to have an antitoxin treatment. Otherwise, he said, I might experience permanent nerve damage, lose my thumb, or in the worst possible case lose my life. I was able to reach my husband, who was working in Philadelphia. He is also a Christian Scientist; after talking to the doctor, he told me that he would support whatever decision I made about treatment. As I sat there, I rejected the idea of going into the hospital. I felt an atmosphere of uncertainty and fear in the doctor's office. I have always experienced healing in Christian Science, and at that point I decided to rely wholly on prayer.

Then a nurse told me an anecdote about a drowning man who refused various forms of rescue, not recognizing them as sent from God; he finally drowned. Her story reminded me of a familiar pamphlet published by The Christian Science Publishing Society, which cites the applicability of God's law even if one were drowning in the middle of the ocean. I knew then that depending on God's law for healing was the way of safety and solution for me, and I became more confident that I wouldn't die.

When we left the office, I asked my friend to take me home. There I thanked her for her help and said goodbye.

I remembered this Bible verse, which welcomed me home: "In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength" (Isaiah). This verse also completely changed my thinking about how to deal with emergencies. I called the practitioner again, less fearful, and able to listen to the truth. He said he thought that this was an important watershed experience for me, spiritually. He talked to me about the power of divine Love, God, who includes all creation in His care. He pointed out that the snake had been trying to protect itself and suggested I deepen my understanding of man's safety as a child of God.

As I prayed and studied, I began to see much more clearly that God's goodness doesn't have an opposite. The truth is that the nature of God—His perfection and harmony—is reflected by man, and that no evil power can interrupt this reflection. We can trust God's goodness to bless us, guide us, and protect us without fail. I didn't tell the children what had happened when they got home.

My husband was able to return from Philadelphia that same night. He took very good care of me all the next day as I continued to pray. There never was any pain, and by that afternoon the swelling began to subside. My youngest sister was graduating from law school and getting married that weekend. I was able to attend the rehearsal dinner Saturday night, and the wedding on Sunday. No one noticed anything amiss with me at all. Sunday morning I met another neighbor in a hotel elevator. He was amazed to see me and asked about the snakebite. I held up both my hands, and he could see no difference. They were both perfect. Because many people in our town knew about the snakebite, they also knew about this healing.

The lessons I learned during this experience have continued to increase my spiritual understanding, enrich my life, and bless my family and me. I am very grateful for all the good we have received through our study of Christian Science.

Susan B. Bradley
Lookout Mountain, Georgia