I was alone at home one afternoon when there was an urgent knock at my front door. Upon opening it, I was confronted by an angry young man holding our Labrador dog by the collar. He thrust a badly cut hand at me and told me that it was a result of a bite inflicted by my dog. I offered to bathe and cover his hand, but he angrily refused and told me that he was going to the doctor and would return later.

I was shocked and shaken, but as I am learning to do, I decided to assess the situation from a spiritual perspective. I knew our dog to be gentle, good-natured, and obedient always. I replaced the picture of an injured, aggressive mortal with the man of God's creating—loved, whole, and lovable. I affirmed God's control of the situation, and sided firmly with His law of undeviating harmony. I was not trying to negate my responsibility or question the young man's story. I wished only to behold what was really going on.

In a short while, the young man returned. He informed me that he had received ten stitches in his hand and that he would be unable to work for several weeks, as he used his hands for manual labor. He demanded compensation for the doctor's bill and for the wages he would miss while not working. I told him that I wanted to do the right thing and would certainly recompense him for anything for which I was responsible. I asked him to work out an estimate of the amount and call back the next day.

I spent the next few hours establishing a clear sense of God's government, which includes not a single element of conflict or injustice. Whenever I felt tempted to doubt the young man's story and question his honesty, I acknowledged instead his God-given integrity and innocence, and knew that he was impelled and motivated by Principle and Love. After a while I felt completely at peace and certain of God's control. I knew I could leave the outcome to Him.

The next day the young man returned. There was a noticeable change in his demeanour and expression. He told me that he had undergone a change of heart, and that because he had been treated with much kindness, he did not want any financial compensation. In his words, he wanted "to be a friend." I assured him of my friendship, and of my desire to do whatever was right under the circumstances.

I only saw my new friend once more when he reaffirmed that he would accept no money, and assured me his hand was healing nicely. The story, however, did not end there. Several weeks later my daughter was speaking to a friend who was newly acquainted with the same young man. With honesty and candour he had confided to my daughter's friend that he had recently been at the beach and witnessed a dogfight. In attempting to stop the fight he had received a nasty wound. Our dog Theo had also been at the beach that day, but was not involved in the fight. Since he knew where Theo lived, he decided to take him home and blame him for the incident in order to cover the medical costs and also possibly to make some money. He had recently arrived in town, was unemployed and short of funds. He stated, however, that he had been treated with such kindness and goodwill that he realized such behavior would not really benefit him, and he was unable to go through with it.

This experience taught me the necessity of seeing the real man, instead of an erring mortal, no matter how convincing the deception, and no matter how much the material senses argue for its acceptance. It also taught me something about God's relevance in our day-to-day life as an ever-active, supreme healing presence.

Another healing provided me with a lesson in the effectiveness of an instant and persistent denial of error.

I had been swimming in an ocean rock pool with my daughter. As I climbed out of the pool to join her as she lay in the sun, I lost my balance and fell into the narrow channel behind the pool, a drop of about seven feet. At the time, the channel was empty, but the tide was beginning to come in. I was shaken and dazed, and felt waves of pain all over my body. I closed my eyes to control my sense of shock, and then came the thought "This cannot have happened." At first that seemed laughable—here I was cut and bruised and unable to move at the bottom of the channel. But I insisted on holding that thought despite the overwhelming evidence to the contrary. The evidence of injury to my left foot and leg was very frightening, and I was unable to put any weight on my leg at all. I clung to the fact that God was right there with me, and I was able to crawl slowly out of the channel. With my daughter's help, I climbed up onto the rock surface. With a vehemence that could only have been God-impelled, I insisted on my dominion and on the unfailing support of God. I was able to get to the car and was shortly at home.

I covered my leg before entering the house, and assured the rest of the family that I was all right. I cleaned the wounds on my legs, all the time being aware of the need for vigilance and for not allowing the thought of accident or the evidence of injury to gain a foothold in my thought. I knew I must stick to the absolute truth without wavering.

After half an hour, I was able to walk to the kitchen to join the family. During the evening I felt a growing conviction of the unreality of anything that would deny God's allness. By bedtime I felt calm and joyful. Though there was no change in the physical condition, whenever I woke I was conscious of being dearly loved by God and maintained in a state of undeviating perfection.

Next morning I woke knowing I would go to work and be able to do all I needed to do. I briefly explained what had happened to my employer. She urged me to visit her doctor, as she was concerned that the wounds might become infected. I declined her offer and no more was said. Mentally I denied the possibility of a spiritual idea being infected and of there being any aftereffects of something that had never happened. I completed an active day's work with very little discomfort.

By the next morning the wounds were beginning to close, the swelling had gone down, and I was able to wear a shoe normally. By the end of the week very little evidence of injury remained, and my movement was completely unrestricted.

My gratitude for this healing is great. The lessons it taught me about confidently standing for Truth are just as great.

Elizabeth Weir
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia