From Teens July 22, 2019 Issue

Overnight healing of an injured shoulder

Wesley Dale

I’d been looking forward to the lacrosse college showcase for weeks. Coaches from many colleges would be there, evaluating our skill sets and teaching us the intricacies of the game. I was excited to learn from these coaches and, potentially, to be recruited.

The night before the showcase, I was outside with friends. While playing hide and seek in the dark, I tripped and fell on my shoulder. When I stood up, I realized my shoulder was dislocated. I couldn’t move it, and it hurt a lot. At first, I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to play in my tournament the next day. Also, I worried that my parents would be angry with me for being irresponsible.

But then I remembered what my Christian Science Sunday School teacher had told me about fear—that we can challenge it on the basis of God’s goodness and all-power. Even though fear can feel powerful and even overwhelming, it is actually powerless, since God has all the power. My teacher had stressed the fact that healing begins with allaying fear (see Mary Baker Eddy, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 411). I’ve found that knowing God helps me get rid of fear and pray more calmly. With this in mind, I began to address the fear by reassuring myself that there was no way I could be out of God’s care at any time, since God is everywhere and always caring for me.

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