I was making a recipe for roasted vegetables using a very hot oven. According to the directions, the trick to getting a nice sear on the food was to put the empty pan in the oven while it preheated, then take the hot pan out and add the vegetables. Slightly preoccupied as I took the pan out and began to add the vegetables, I momentarily forgot that the pan was hot and grasped it with an unprotected hand to steady it. The pain caused me to drop it quickly. 

Although the pain was severe, my first response was to begin praying—to listen for and hear what God was saying. Instead of focusing on my hand and the pain, I focused on what I know to be true about God and me. 

I’ve learned in my study of Christian Science that I am God’s beloved daughter and that I am always watched over and protected by my Father—even though at the time, the pain was making me feel the opposite of that. Nevertheless, I thanked God for being beside me every moment of my life. Many times when I had previously turned to God, I’d felt His presence, but there were also plenty of times in the past that I had been so frightened or distracted that I’d forgotten He was right there with me. During this difficult moment, I didn’t forget.