When our middle child was about seven years old, she came home from a neighbor’s house on a Friday afternoon, went to the freezer, and got an ice pack to put against her cheek. I could see that she was fighting back tears. When I asked her what was going on, she showed me her cheek, which had a dark red burn mark on it. She had been doing an art project with her friend next door and had accidentally leaned the side of her face against a hot iron while reaching across the table for supplies. We called a Christian Science practitioner together for prayerful treatment. The practitioner prayed for our daughter right away. She reminded us of the biblical promise of safety for God’s children. 

The following statements, one from the Bible and the others from Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy, the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, beautifully capture some of the ideas we leaned on for inspiration and healing: “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” (Deuteronomy 33:12); “Under divine Providence there can be no accidents, since there is no room for imperfection in perfection” (p. 424); “Have no fear that matter can ache, swell, and be inflamed as the result of a law of any kind, when it is self-evident that matter can have no pain nor inflammation” (p. 393).

Prayer was immediately effective. Within minutes, my daughter asked, “Are we done yet? Can I go play outside?” She bounced off happily, and I gave gratitude to God for the healing of the pain. She never mentioned pain or any other discomfort related to the burn again.