Over three decades ago, while employed as a truck diesel mechanic, I was torquing cylinder head bolts. To achieve sufficient leverage, I was perched high up on the truck frame. Without warning, the ratchet gave way while at six hundred pounds of torque. When this occurred, I flew about thirty feet through the air, and hit the concrete floor, landing first on my left hand and then on my left hip. I looked at my wrist and saw it was not in its normal position, and the pain was overwhelming.

I asked my boss to call a Christian Science practitioner for me. I described to her what had happened. Since this was categorized as an industrial mishap, it was a legal requirement that I be taken to a hospital.

I was transported to the emergency waiting room, where I had to sit and wait about ninety minutes. During this time I overcame the state of shock and initiated my prayerful protests. When I was finally taken into the emergency room, I was given some gas, which essentially paralyzed me as they reset my wrist into its proper alignment. I remained conscious, however, and continued praying. Meanwhile, the doctor commented that since my wrist was shattered, my hand would never be functional again.

Upon hearing this, I silently denied this judgment, knowing that God is my life and foundation, that I am not merely a physical flesh-and-bone structure.

After the cast was applied, I was sent home. In the ensuing weeks, I was under the company's insurance doctor's care, having X-rays twice a week. In the second month, the company doctor took me aside and asked me what I was doing. Evidently the bone fragments in my wrist were moving into their proper places.

I explained to him that since I am a student of Christian Science, I had been praying with a Christian Science practitioner and studying Science and Health. The doctor urged me to keep it up, as it surely was doing me good.

The first cast was then removed and replaced with a smaller one. After another month, the second cast was removed, and an interview with the insurance claim adjuster determined that I had a 20 percent disability. This claim of disability has been shown to be false, however. The function of my hand has been 100 percent normal.

The following words in Science and Health, under the marginal heading, "Indestructible life of man," were of great help to me: "Man is indestructible and eternal. Sometime it will be learned that mortal mind constructs the mortal body with this mind's own mortal materials. In Science, no breakage nor dislocation can really occur. You say that accidents, injuries, and disease kill man, but this is not true. The life of man is Mind. The material body manifests only what mortal mind believes, whether it be a broken bone, disease, or sin" (p. 402).

This statement, and many others from Mary Baker Eddy's works, enabled me to master each limitation associated with this claim of accident. The following Bible verse also was of great comfort to me: "Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness" (Isa. 41:10).

I try to show my gratitude in expressing to the best of my understanding the Science of Christ, which Jesus lived and demonstrated and which Mrs. Eddy revealed in her writings for mankind.

Theodore M. Holhut
Sparks, Nevada