One day, just before dinner, Mark was helping Father burn some papers in a metal basket in the yard. By mistake Mark dropped one of his toys into the fire and without thinking reached into the flames for the toy. Two of his fingers were burned.

Mark was very frightened. He ran to Mother and asked her to talk with him about God, knowing he could turn to God whenever he needed healing. He had always been a student of Christian Science. Together Mother and Mark repeated "the scientific statement of being" given by Mrs. Eddy in Science and Health. It begins: "There is no life, truth, intelligence, nor substance in matter. All is infinite Mind and its infinite manifestation, for God is All-in-all." ^{Science and Health, p. 468;}

Mark had also learned the twenty-third Psalm just the week before. He found comfort in thinking about all its promises of God's care, especially the part, "I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me." ^{Ps. 23:4.} Christian Science is the truth that Christ Jesus said would come to comfort everyone.

"There aren't any accidents in God's kingdom," Mother reminded him. "Man and the universe are under God's control. There is no other power but God." She further told him that he was perfectly formed by God, and that nothing could take away his usefulness and activity. God's child is not subject to chance or change, because he is made up of the lasting qualities of God such as love and fearlessness. God's work is forever.

It was dinnertime, but because his fingers hurt very much, Mark wasn't even hungry.

"It's not right to declare the truths of man's perfection and then sit around sympathizing with error and making it comfortable," Mother explained. "We must try very hard to do the normal thing. While we declare that man is the perfect child of God, we must also act like it."

So Mark decided he would join his family at the dinner table. As he sat down, Mark heard his mother ask what he could think of to be grateful for. "That's a hard question to answer right now," he said softly. His little sister Mary raised her hand eagerly. "I'm grateful that Mark is really God's child," she said.

Then Father said he was grateful that all the family were together at the table. Mother was grateful for the peace she felt in knowing that only good is real.

Now it was Mark's turn, and this time he had something to add. "I'm grateful that God always does a good job when I ask Him to help me."

While they ate, Mark and his family took turns saying how grateful they were for all their blessings—home, friends, sunshine, flowers, school, church, pets, well-being—all the good that God has given to all His children.

"I'll have some more salad, please," Mark said enthusiastically.

After dessert, as everyone was leaving the table, Mark jumped up. "Thanks for the delicious dinner, Mom. May I go out and play for a while?"

When he came home from playing, he knew exactly why he was feeling so much better. "I thought about all that our family has to be grateful for, about all the other people with just as much to be grateful for, and I knew why an accident can't be real," he explained. "There's no room left for it, because there's just so much good."

The next day Mark's fingers were perfectly normal in every way. He could do all his work in school. In fact, he even took a piano lesson.