"When examined in the light of divine Science, mortals present more than is detected upon the surface, since inverted thoughts and erroneous beliefs must be counterfeits of Truth. Thought is borrowed from a higher source than matter, and by reversal, errors serve as waymarks to the one Mind, in which all error disappears in celestial Truth" (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy, p. 267).

How grateful I am for all the waymarks to God. The most wonderful thing about prayer is that the healing truth is always readily accessible to thought, whenever needed. A beautiful healing of a fractured cheekbone, which I had when in my late teens, has been a source of comfort, and also of conviction that I could again rely on God's omnipotent care when I was hurt a couple of years ago.

The first healing occurred when I was injured in a car accident. While the cars involved were being removed from the road, I managed to telephone a Christian Science practitioner and ask for help through prayer. She reminded me of a statement from Science and Health: "Accidents are unknown to God, or immortal Mind, and we must leave the mortal basis of belief and unite with the one Mind, in order to change the notion of chance to the proper sense of God's unerring direction and thus bring out harmony" (p. 424). I can remember thinking that if God knew nothing about this accident, I couldn't either, as I reflected divine Mind. I rejoined my friends, and whilst waiting for help to arrive, we sat by the kerbside singing our favourite hymns from the Christian Science Hymnal. At no time did I feel any pain, but actually a sense of being surrounded by God's loving care.

When I arrived home my dear father, who was not a Christian Scientist, insisted on taking me to the casualty section of the local hospital for X-rays. The results showed that I had fractured the bone in my left cheek, and that they would need setting by surgery. I was told that if I didn't go ahead with the surgery, my face would remain flat on that side. My father made arrangements for me to return the next morning to have the operation.

The first thing I did when I arrived home was to ring the practitioner again to tell her of the arrangements. She told me not to worry about the morning, but just to think about cause and effect as belonging to God. She asked me to pray with a couple of sentences from Science and Health, which I still remember: "The starting-point of divine Science is that God, Spirit, is All-in-all, and that there is no other might nor Mind,—that God is Love, and therefore He is divine Principle" (p. 275) and "All substance, intelligence, wisdom, being, immortality, cause, and effect belong to God" (ibid.). I was able to reason that if God is All and is good, there could be no room for accidents or their effects within this perfection. All fear as to the surgeon's predictions left me, and in the morning I asked my father if I could cancel the operation and rely on Christian Science for healing. My mother, whose steadfastness in the teachings of Christian Science has always been an inspiration to me, gently supported me in this request. To my surprise and delight, he agreed and, as we prayed, within a couple of days my face had already returned to its normal appearance—all signs of injury disappeared.

Two years ago the recollection of this healing was a tremendous source of inspiration and encouragement when I fell whilst getting out of the bath. I fell in such a way that the full force was taken on the right side my face and on my right hand. The first thought that came to me was the first line of "the scientific statement of being" from the textbook: "There is no life, truth, intelligence, nor substance in matter" (ibid., p. 468). This was followed almost immediately by recollection of the words of Hymn No. 134, including this thought: "Embosomed deep in Thy dear love,/Held in Thy law, I stand" (Christian Science Hymnal). As I lay on the floor, I reasoned that God's law was totally good, all-powerful, and always in operation. I could never fall from the scope of this law of good, and, embosomed in God's love, I felt I should stand and get on with my busy day.

The picture that confronted me in the bathroom mirror did not look good—my face was badly injured. I needed to be at work that day, as I had much to do and there was no one I could call on to take my place. I prayed earnestly to know that the people I had to visit that day would see only the perfection of God's man.

When I started to drive my car, and put pressure on my hand, it became obvious that it, too, was injured. As my work involved assisting people in their homes, I phoned a Christian Science practitioner and asked for help. Again we considered God's allness and the inviolability of His law of good—that it can never be broken and that I could never be broken. We also discussed the need to destroy any self-condemnation about the fall. By the time I arrived at my first destination, I was using the hand freely. I had a happy, joy-filled day, and nobody commented on my appearance. Later that evening I saw that my face had returned to its normal proportions and that the bruising around my eyes had begun to fade. The solid proof of God's power I had whilst a teenager, along with many others in the interim, had allowed me to move expectantly, fearlessly, and confidently this experience, and again to find quick and total healing.

For all the waymarks to God's great love—and to the abundance He has for each one of His children—I can sing with a heart full of gratitude, "My spirit hath rejoicing,/... For Thou hast made me whole" (ibid., Hymn 153).

Margaret-Ann McCauley
Eatons Hill, Queensland, Australia