Moving freely again
A few years ago, I seriously injured my ankle in a bicycle accident. Although I didn’t realize it at the time of the accident, my ankle was apparently dislocated. Needless to say, I was concerned about the pain and my difficulty moving around. However, the prayerful work of a Christian Science practitioner was so effective that the day after the accident, I was able to be at my post as First Reader of our church without experiencing pain or disability. Serving as a Reader required climbing some stairs to get to the podium and then standing and reading for most of the hour-long service. I assumed at the time that I had been completely healed and that the reduction of my ankle’s swelling would soon follow, but when I returned home, I was disappointed to find myself experiencing the same intense pain that I had suffered before the service.
Over the next three months, I still found myself unable to walk or to stand for long periods of time, despite my continued prayers. However, I had no problems when conducting our semi-weekly church services; my movements during the services were natural, normal, and comfortable. Each time I entered the First Reader’s room to pray before a service, I always felt a sweet sense of peace and confidence come over me. And my ankle’s discomfort always faded away by the time I went in to the auditorium to read for the service. I attribute these hiatuses of the difficulty not only to the diligent prayers of the practitioner and those of my own, but also to the prayers of the church membership, which are always offered for our congregation collectively during services.
During this time, I became curious about the illusive nature of pain. For example, a few times I caught myself limping on the “wrong” foot. It wasn’t until I would realize this that my “right” foot would start hurting. And sometimes, upon waking up, I would catch myself trying to remember which foot was the painful one, which would trigger the discomfort again. But where was the pain when I wasn’t thinking about it? These instances helped me realize that the pain was only in thought, which is where it would have to be healed.
One night when I was in the bathtub, about two months after the bicycle incident, I noticed that the swelling had gone down, exposing my ankle. Rather than being straight in line with my leg, my ankle was off to one side, with my toes slanting in the wrong direction. I began to fear that I had allowed a serious condition to develop by not having had my ankle set. Although I was familiar with Mary Baker Eddy’s statement in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures that says, “Until the advancing age admits the efficacy and supremacy of Mind, it is better for Christian Scientists to leave surgery and the adjustment of broken bones and dislocations to the fingers of a surgeon …” (p. 401 ), I decided to deal with the problem without the help of a surgeon. I reasoned that I could always turn to God’s care, since He is the source of my comfort, mobility, and healing, and my fear subsided.
Right away I realized that I needed to lean on spiritual ideas that would keep my thought moving forward, resistant to what the material senses were telling me. Especially helpful were Paul’s words, “All things work together for good to them that love God” (Romans 8:28 ), and Mary Baker Eddy’s insight, “Soul has infinite resources with which to bless mankind …” (Science and Health, p. 60 ). I realized that these “infinite resources” were all around me, “working together” on my behalf.
One day after about another month of persistent and inspiring prayer, I felt my thought begin to shift. I was beginning to see more clearly that it was my thinking, not my foot, that needed adjusting. I realized that I was not subject to what the material senses were telling me. Instead, my being was and is wholly spiritual and perfect, subject only to the health-giving laws of Spirit.
That day, I hobbled into the bathroom to retrieve something hanging over the tub. But my injured foot got stuck between some bathroom fixtures, and I lost my balance, gradually falling forward in what seemed like slow motion. By the time I caught myself, I realized that my ankle had been gently forced back into place. When I freed my foot, I found that all the pain was gone, my ankle had aligned properly with my leg, and my toes were slanted in the proper direction. The whole incident was over in an instant—both my thoughts and my foot were newly aligned. I stood there in a state of awe.
Right away I was able to take long walks and climb stairs again without pain. And when I went swimming a couple of weeks later, my foot felt solid and strong—it was completely healed. I was overjoyed at my freedom and happily finished a normal and delightful half-hour swim. Since then I have not had any more problems with my foot.
I am grateful for the deep spiritual lessons I learned through this healing, one of which is that keeping actively focused on spiritual truths helps in realizing one’s wholeness.
Yvonne Renoult
San Francisco, California, US
