One evening about seven years...

Florence A. Dunn

One evening about seven years ago, while I was roller skating with my family, I tripped and landed with all my weight on my right hand. Before I could get up, a passing skater struck my third finger and skated over it. Immediately I declared the truth: that there are no accidents in God's kingdom, that man in His image and likeness is unfallen, upright, free; then I arose quickly and continued to skate for a while.

By the time I reached home my finger was very much swollen, and the end hung loose in an unnatural position. It certainly appeared to be broken; so I asked the aid of a friend who had had some nurse's training, and she bandaged it, using a splint to hold the end of the finger in position. Of course I continued my prayerful work in Christian Science.

About a week later I removed the bandage to change it; in fact, I expected the finger to be healed and was disappointed to see the end of the finger as limp as before. I bandaged it again, and this time I called a Christian Science practitioner for help. Another week or more passed, and still the finger remained the same.

I began to wonder if it really was a broken bone that was causing the trouble; so I had the finger X-rayed. The picture showed not a broken bone, but a broken tendon, and the doctor said that because so much time had passed since the injury had occurred an immediate operation would be necessary in order to sew the ends of the tendon together. Otherwise the tendon would become permanently useless.

When I told him I should have to think about it, he said: "All right. If you want to go through life like that, it's all right with me." But I determined to continue working out the problem in Christian Science.

Two weeks later my finger still seemed no better. Then one day it came to me very clearly that I was not depending wholly on God as long as I was using a splint to support the finger. Mrs. Eddy says in Science and Health (p. 167), "Only through radical reliance on Truth can scientific healing power be realized." I knew then what I must do.

I removed the bandages and splint and said aloud: "I will not accept this picture as the truth about my real selfhood. I shall know that with God all things are possible, and I shall trust in Him completely." With that, I put the finger out of thought, and it was not until some time later that I looked at it. It seemed to be much straighter, but I refused to examine it further or to see myself as in reality less than spiritual and perfect. I knew I must turn to divine Mind to find the true picture regarding any circumstance.

A few weeks later, as I sat at the piano one day, I started to play. I cannot begin to describe the feeling that came over me as I looked at my hand, for my finger was straight, strong, perfectly controlled, completely healed. My heart was filled with love and joy and gratitude, for once again the healing power of Almighty God had been proved.

I am profoundly grateful for Christian Science.—(Mrs.) Florence A. Dunn, Brookline, Massachusetts.

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