Article June 12, 2006 Issue

HIKING TO freedom

BY LILIAN PASSET

I was coming down the stairs early one rainy, dark morning at my daughter's home, carrying an empty mug, when I missed the last step and landed in a heap, the beautiful mug flying out of my hand.

Sitting there for a moment, I prayed, as I had done 15 minutes earlier when I'd read the Bible Lesson from the Christian Science Quarterly. I affirmed that I was spiritual, an idea of God, held safely in His arms forever. I thought of a reassuring statement in Science and Health that it is "impossible for man, under the government of God in eternal Science, to fall from his high estate" (p. 258).

When I got to my feet, I was very sore—my hip, one of my toes, and one of my knees appeared injured. But I kept praying to know that nothing could cause me to slip or fall from my "high estate" as a child of God. My daughter and son-in-law were anxious about my condition, but I assured them I would be OK, and smilingly pointed out that their lovely mug hadn't broken. However, when the toe became swollen and turned blue, I suspected it was probably broken.