My family and I were on a day trip to a local water park, and as we were getting out of the car, a gust of wind slammed the door shut on my hand. Once the hand was freed, I saw that there were very deep cuts on three fingers. The bleeding was profuse. 

Looking away from the injury, I clutched several napkins firmly in my hand. To ease my family’s fear as well as my own, I declared aloud some spiritual truths I had learned in my lifelong study of Christian Science, such as the definition of God in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy: “The great I am; the all-knowing, all-seeing, all-acting, all-wise, all-loving, and eternal; Principle; Mind; Soul; Spirit; Life; Truth; Love; all substance; intelligence” (p. 587). 

I also said aloud the answer to the question “What is man?” from Science and Health (p. 475), which begins: “Man is not matter; he is not made up of brain, blood, bones, and other material elements. The Scriptures inform us that man is made in the image and likeness of God. Matter is not that likeness.”