PRAYER RULES OUT PAIN

ERIC EMMONS

A number of years ago when I was in high school, I was outside playing paddle ball during a physical education class. I took a particularly ferocious swipe at the ball, trying to hit it against the side of the gymnasium. Immediately, I felt a strong pain in my back and concluded that I had severely strained some of my back muscles.

I stopped playing and took some quiet time to pray about the situation.

I thought about something I'd learned in Christian Science—that all true activity is the activity of God and that therefore all true action is harmonious. I knew that since God is Spirit, as His reflection I was entirely spiritual. Therefore my real being wasn't material, so muscles and the physical body could not dictate to me how to feel. Because pain is unrelated to God, it is unrelated to me.

For the next several days, I continued praying with these ideas, but I was still experiencing pain when I moved my back in any way, and I also had difficulty standing straight. Finally, I thought, "This has gone on long enough. I'm just not going to continue to put up with it."

At one point, the words of one of my favorite hymns came to mind:

Eternal Mind the Potter is,
And thought th' eternal clay:
The hand that fashions is divine,
His works pass not away.
Man is the noblest work of God,
His beauty, power and grace,
Immortal; perfect as his Mind
Reflected face to face.

(Mary Alice Dayton, Christian Science Hymnal, No. 51)

I thought of a potter at the wheel, fashioning a piece of clay into a bowl or vase that has form, distinctness, and beauty. And I thought, "In my case, God is the potter—the Creator—and what He's created—me—has no blemishes, imperfections, or problems at all, since God can only create perfection. I am the likeness of God's perfection."

Immediately, the pain left. I was able to do sit-ups and perform other strenuous activities without any further pain or limitation.

I was, and continue to be, thankful for this proof of God's control over the material body, and for the truths in Christian Science that we can apply in every circumstance.

ERIC EMMONS
LAKEWOOD, CALIFORNIA, US

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