Damaged foot mended
Shortly out of college, I was involved in an automobile accident in which my foot was crushed. The pain was intense and I was unable to walk. I did not have the foot examined by a doctor. The damage was so great I doubted that doctors could fix it.
I loved the God that Christian Science had shown me since early childhood, and my response was to trust this “great Physician” to heal me. The Christian Science practitioner I called for prayerful treatment directed me to “God’s Law of Adjustment” by Adam H. Dickey (The Christian Science Journal, January 1916, p. 559). This article was inspiring and immediately lifted me out of the sense of having been bashed around. That evening, after reading the article, I could see that there is an ordering of all things by God, and that His ideas do not need to compete for, nor can they occupy, the same space. Each idea is cherished and dear to our Father-Mother God and moves in perfect harmony with His laws. I understood that God is the Supreme Ruler, and anything that would try to draw me away from that truth had to be false. I was convinced that the big pickup truck that hit my car could not possibly be outside God’s law, and even the dust and debris blowing across the highway that had blinded the driver of my car could not interfere with the operation of God’s law. So I felt perfectly calm and at peace trusting my foot to God and His laws. By the next morning, the day after the accident, the pain was gone.
In two weeks, I was back in my classroom teaching second-graders. There was a noticeable limp but very few questions, although my every move was being watched since I had noted my preference for Christian Science treatment on the school records. Soon after I returned to my teaching position, the practitioner who had been giving me Christian Science treatment needed to go out of town on an extended business trip. At first I wasn’t sure I was ready to be on my own. I did not have any family or close friends nearby. But on thinking about this, I realized that we are all really on our own—with God. Soon the fear dissolved, and I did not feel the need to call another practitioner. I appreciated the opportunity to be alone with God, to put my faith in my Father-Mother, to feel His presence and the power of His goodness, and to turn absolutely away from falsehoods about my foot.
After about a month, it became clear that the bones were knitting together, but they were not in their right places. This troubled me until I realized it was just a temptation to doubt God’s perfect government. Shortly thereafter, on two evenings while I was lying on the sofa, I felt the bones in my foot move around. I still limped, but this didn’t concern me, as I knew I was in God’s care.
One day, my principal approached me abruptly on the playground to say that he was tired of seeing me limp. At first I was taken aback, but by the end of the school day, I knew that God, whom Mary Baker Eddy defines in part as “the all-knowing, all-seeing, all-acting, all-wise, all-loving” (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 587 ), is there for us and would show me what to do.
On my drive home, I prayed to our Father-Mother God. I knew I had returned to teaching my class with a pure motive, to bless and be blessed. I affirmed what the Bible states, “We know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28 ).
When I arrived home, I felt compelled to go into my closet and find a pair of shoes I could wear without limping. By the time the winter rains arrived and I needed other shoes, the foot was perfect in every way. I was even able to go bowling. Not only that, I was learning to “be still, and know that I am God” (Psalms 46:10 ). In the many years since then, I have had no trouble with that foot.
When the Christ, Truth, touches your consciousness and you apply that to whatever situation you’re facing, healing comes. The unfolding of spiritual lessons and beautiful solutions becomes a way of life. You begin to see that you are God’s dearly beloved.
Cindy Vail
Santa Rosa, California, US
