I have had many outstanding healings in Christian Science, including the restoration of a shattered kneecap, the eradication of a growth, and the lifting of long-standing symptoms of depression. A cancer in a loved one, which was reportedly incurable, was annihilated through prayer. The following healing stands out as another example of the power of God at work in our lives. 

While making macaroni and cheese for my granddaughters, I inadvertently poured a four-quart pot of boiling water onto my left hand as I tried to drain the pasta into a colander. It took me a few minutes to get my mental bearings. Understanding that God is conscious only of His own perfection and knows nothing about accidents or chance, I realized that in the allness of God, good, an accident had never really happened, so I did not need to suffer its seeming ill effects. I needed to refute the pain as an illusion that was no real part of my being as God’s loved child.

My next thought was that nothing could rob me of the joy of being with my grandchildren or of feeding them dinner. “Whatever it is your duty to do, you can do without harm to yourself” is one statement by Mary Baker Eddy, on page 385 of Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, that I pray with often. 

My granddaughter, who was sitting at the kitchen counter, waiting for her favorite meal, said, “Are you OK, Grandma?” I responded, “Yes, Honey. I am praying.” Shortly after that, I continued making dinner, without looking at my hand. 

The following two days I went swimming but was unable to put either of my hands in the hot water of the whirlpool. At that point I realized that the boiling water must have splashed onto my right hand, too. Still, I knew that because I was a spiritual idea of God, my perfection was intact. 

I also affirmed in praying about it that there could be no sensation in matter. I agreed with this statement: “That matter is substantial or has life and sensation, is one of the false beliefs of mortals, and exists only in a supposititious mortal consciousness” (Science and Health, p. 278). I also prayed with “the scientific statement of being” from page 468 of Science and Health, which begins: “There is no life, truth, intelligence, nor substance in matter. All is infinite Mind and its infinite manifestation, for God is All-in-all.”

The next day was Sunday. I was sitting at a church service when I knew I was completely healed, and the thought came to me to look at my hands. There was absolutely no evidence that they had ever been burned. 

While I was praying about my hands, I remembered an earlier healing of a burn. That time I had poured boiling soup, heated up in a microwave, into my lap. It was winter, and, even though I was wearing three layers of clothing, the burns were severe. For the next few days, Christian Science nurses visited me twice a day to change the dressing on the affected area. 

By the fifth day, I was feeling very discouraged because it didn’t seem that any progress was being made. That morning the Christian Science nurse remarked on the fact that I had not experienced any pain. “That is exactly what I needed to hear,” I responded. 

At that moment I was filled with gratitude for the Christian Science practitioner’s prayers, and for the Christian Science nurses and their skilled and compassionate care. I realized that nothing could stop the fulfillment of God’s law of harmony. Within two days complete healing took place, and there was no remaining evidence of the burn. I am in awe of the healing power
of God. 

Ellen Richardson
Oswego, Illinois, US