Fear fails to overwhelm
One day, when I was in college, I was crossing the street on my way to the beach. I was at a crosswalk, waiting patiently for the traffic to clear, when cars in the lane closest to me started to stack up waiting for me to cross. Because of a bend in the road, I couldn’t see any traffic in the second lane, so I waved “thank you” and proceeded to cross the street. In an instant, I was struck by a car in the second lane. The car was traveling fast, and I ended up much farther down the road.
I remained conscious throughout the ordeal. My immediate reaction was one of disbelief that I had stepped in front of a moving car. My next thought, however, was more of a declaration of my true existence; I was under God’s care and not subject to accidents (see Mary Baker Eddy, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 424 ). When I tried to get up, I was in pain. Several concerned and caring people started to gather around me. One gentleman reassured me that I would be fine.
An ambulance shortly arrived, and the paramedics began preparing me for transport to the hospital. My thoughts were of gratitude for all the kind people assisting me and, more important, for God, knowing that He was protecting my true spiritual identity and that He always keeps me safe from harm, no matter what the circumstances look like.
As I was being lifted into the ambulance, I felt a sharp pain in my leg, but the pain subsided as I kept my thought in line with the concept that there are no accidents in God’s kingdom. When the young driver of the car that hit me approached me and identified himself, apologizing for hitting me, I didn’t feel anger. It was so helpful to stick with the spiritual truth that my true nature was unharmed and unaffected. And I’m so grateful that fear did not have an opportunity to overwhelm me or settle in my thoughts.
When I arrived at the hospital, I informed the doctor that I was a Christian Scientist and that my preference was to have prayer-based Christian Science treatment instead of medical attention. My parents were called and were soon on their way to get me. A Christian Science practitioner was asked to give me Christian Science treatment. I was able to talk to her on the phone. The thoughts she shared with me were reassuring. She talked about my relationship to God and how I was always under His care and couldn’t be separated from Him under any circumstance. This calmed me.
Shortly afterward, when the hospital staff started to take X-rays of my leg, the leg started shaking uncontrollably. I could see the concern in their eyes, so I held tight to the thoughts that God was protecting me. My leg and body soon quieted.
Later, as the doctor was telling me how fortunate I was in that I didn’t have any broken bones, he also said he wanted me to take some painkillers. I found myself reassuring him that I would not be needing them and thanked him for his kind care. I was confident that by my clinging to the spiritual facts of being and handling fear, all would be well. My parents arrived, and the doctors were satisfied that I could be released to my parents’ care.
We picked up some crutches so I could get around the house. When I felt painful pressure periodically coming on in my leg, I would declare my oneness with God and that there was “no sensation in matter” (Science and Health, p. 237 ) and the pain would quickly disappear. I rested and read the Christian Science Bible Lesson and articles on Christian Science for a couple of days. Scabs from cuts on my back disappeared within three days. The swelling in my leg soon abated, and I was able to attend an exam at college within a few days. Within a week, I was able to discard the crutches and gave a testimony of gratitude at church for the healing. There was a small dent in my leg that disappeared after a short period of time.
I learned a great lesson from this experience—replacing fear with love and gratitude is a present help in trouble.
David Gibson
Mesa, Arizona, US
