Free from ankle injury
I’ve been a student of Christian Science for about ten years now and have been so blessed by reading the testimonies in the Christian Science periodicals. It’s well past time to submit a testimony of my own.
In September of 2012, I had the morning off from work and was tidying up the house. I had a busy day planned and a busy week ahead, including attending the wedding of a close friend that weekend.
As I descended the stairs on our back stoop to empty the compost bucket, I missed the last step, turning my ankle badly. The pain was so severe at first that I began to feel nauseated and dizzy. I immediately sat down on the steps and began to vehemently declare “the scientific statement of being” from Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy (see page 468 ), and affirmed that, as God’s loved child, I am not susceptible to accidents (see p. 424 ). Just as the Bible says in Deuteronomy, “The beloved of the Lord shall dwell in safety by him; and the Lord shall cover him all the day long, and he shall dwell between his shoulders” (33:12 ). I realized that God keeps me safe at all times, as a mother bird cares for her young. After a few minutes I was able to stand, but walking was painful. I limped over to the compost and emptied the bucket and made my way back inside. At that point I knew I needed to pray further.
The pain was still present, but the nausea and dizziness subsided as I sat in my reading chair. I read and prayed, following Mrs. Eddy’s instructions to “… keep your minds so filled with Truth and Love, that sin, disease, and death cannot enter them. It is plain that nothing can be added to the mind already full…. Good thoughts are an impervious armor; clad therewith you are completely shielded from the attacks of error of every sort” (The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany, p. 210 ). As I’d found so many times in the past, our Leader’s words, along with the “inspired Word of the Bible” (Science and Health, p. 497 ), contain so much wisdom and healing.
Despite this assurance, uncomfortable sensations in the ankle brought back vivid memories of a similar injury of that same ankle many years ago, when I was playing tennis in high school and slipped on a sandy patch on the court. I sadly and fearfully recalled the experience of having to rehabilitate the ankle and missing out on an entire season of tennis. This recovery process included pain medication, frequently applying ice, having to sit with my ankle elevated, and physical therapy. I also wore a flexible cast and used crutches until the ankle got better, which took several months overall. Despite taking these steps, I specifically remember being told that the kind of injury I had would never heal entirely, and that the ankle would always be more susceptible to sprain from then on.
Knowing the battle was mental, I had to vigorously say “No!” to these intrusive, fear-filled thoughts, and mentally toss them out like trash, replacing them with spiritual truths about myself and all God’s children. Thoughts about the previous injury persisted, but I resolved that I would not let the past become the measure for the future. I hadn’t known about Christian Science back in high school, but I was aware of it now, and was prepared to rely on it for complete healing.
Since Mrs. Eddy tells us that “… we have not the power to demonstrate what we do not understand” (Science and Health, p. 254 ), I focused on what I knew I understood and could demonstrate, love and gratitude. While I don’t recall exactly what I read, I remember letting myself be enveloped in all the healing, loving thoughts I encountered. After a while I began to feel some peace. The pain was mostly gone, and the ankle never swelled or became discolored, as it had many years ago with the previous injury. I decided it was right to go about my day, which included commuting to graduate classes in the afternoon and running errands. The ankle was still tender, but I could walk on it.
For the next three days, I focused on being a transparency for divine Love, giving thanks in everything (see I Thessalonians 5:18 ), and not being preoccupied with looking for physical evidence of good before giving thanks. Whenever I would put on socks or noticed my ankle, I would affirm what I knew was true about my spiritual identity and divine Love’s care for me. I was able to joyfully fulfill all my responsibilities that week without any impediment.
The ankle rapidly improved, much more quickly than the previous injury had, and without the use of medical treatment. This brought out for me even more clearly that although material medicine tries to help someone when sick or hurting, its basis in matter automatically imposes limits to its efficacy, requiring repeated dosing, therapies, and time to work. Christian Science has none of these constraints, as the pure, healing, limitless truth of God that Christ Jesus demonstrated over and over during his ministry. I felt so grateful to be able to pursue this ideal of spiritual healing.
Friday evening was our friend’s wedding. I wore a dress and strappy high heels and danced the night away with my husband and all our friends without even a thought about the ankle. Since then I have run hundreds of miles on the road, training for marathons and half-marathons, with no problems whatsoever. I am completely free, but what’s so beautiful about this healing is that I also made some progress in understanding that for my whole life—even during times when I had no knowledge of Christian Science—I was always protected by my Father-Mother God, Love, and Love doesn’t allow us to be vulnerable or susceptible to anything that would hurt us.
Kristen Watson
Georgia, Vermont, US
