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On the day of the big race

My favorite sport is track. That’s why when I made it to the state competition for track as a freshman, I felt very accomplished.
But then something terrible happened. The week before state, my coach warned me that I should be really careful, so that I wouldn’t get hurt before the big race. And that same week, I managed to hurt my ankle pretty badly when I was practicing football for fun.
There I was on crutches, stressed out, knowing that in a few days I was supposed to be performing my best. At track practice, I saw the disappointment on my coach’s face when I told him what had happened.
I decided I would only identify myself correctly—the way God made me, as His spiritual reflection.
Fast forward to the day of state. Even walking to breakfast, I couldn’t help but limp because of the pain. But that day, instead of worrying, I tried something else—something I should have done in the first place. I prayed for myself the way I’d learned to in the Christian Science Sunday School.
I realized there were two ways I could look at things. One way was in line with what the five physical senses were telling me: that I was a runner who was damaged. That’s how I’d been seeing myself for the last several days, and it really hadn’t helped anything.
Then I thought about the other way I could see the situation: by beginning with God. God is Spirit. So I realized that instead of seeing myself as a runner with a physical body that might or might not perform well, I could see myself as Spirit’s image and likeness—spiritual and free. Prayer helped change my mind-set to recognize the real runner that I am: God’s expression. And my focus shifted from being worried to trusting God more and more.
I decided I would only identify myself correctly—the way God made me, as His spiritual reflection. I would not identify myself as someone with a hurt ankle. That day I knew that all the power and strength I need as an athlete comes from God. God creates and maintains my identity and always will. I stuck with that idea all day. I thought of it an hour before my race. Ten minutes before. Five minutes, four, three, two, one.
And then I was standing on the track, watching my fellow relay team member coming up fast behind me. As he handed me the baton, I knew what I truly was and why I was free to perform. I felt no pain at all while I was running, and that day our relay team ended up setting a new personal record. In fact, because we were faster than we’d ever been before, we moved on to the next round, and I was able to run painlessly in that race, too.
Of course it was exciting to perform well, individually and as a team. But I walked away with more than just a team record to be grateful for. This experience also taught me that seeing things from God’s perspective is the quickest way to get “on track” for healing.

June 22, 2020 issue
View Issue-
From the readers
David Fares, Kris Gulbran, Leslie Crecelius
Articles
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Our always-present help during crises
Patrick McCreary
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Who’s flying the plane?
Elizabeth Trevithick
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Paying attention to “stop lights”
Diane S. Staples
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God’s care—in and out of care homes
Adrienne Thomas
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Listening to what we most need to hear about our health
Carla Stillman
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When a neighbor mentioned Christian Science
William Hewett
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On the day of the big race
Harrison Ostenberg
Testimonies of healing
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Flu symptoms gone
Nancy James
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Healed of asthma and blessed by Sunday School
Brad Hughes
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Horse healed of serious condition
Lori Kleski
Notice
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A message from The Christian Science Publishing Society
Abe McLaughlin
Editorial
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Praying for ourselves and the world
Larissa Snorek
- Bible Lens—June 22–28, 2020