Three or four years ago, as springtime rolled around, I was enjoying the fact that it was getting lighter earlier in the morning. One day before work I decided to brave some drizzle and ride my bike to the office. The weather report suggested I would be rewarded with a nicer ride in the afternoon. So I tossed my work clothes in a daypack, and off I went.

Just a few blocks shy of work, I came to some familiar railroad tracks. My front wheel sank into a groove, and I went right over the handlebars. I was moving pretty fast, so I came down hard on the pavement. But I was immediately grateful because, even though there were cars and trucks zooming along in commuter traffic, neither my bike nor I was hit. I quickly got up, dragged my bike onto the sidewalk, and took stock of the situation.

My bike was pretty banged up and had a flat tire. So I knew I'd have to walk the last few blocks to work. When I looked at myself, I realized I had cuts and scrapes all over my hands, arms, and legs. Plus, whenever I tried to move my right hand, there was a sound that to me indicated shifting bones in my wrist, along with some pain. As I walked, I knew that it was important not to allow myself to fall into feeling like a helpless victim of circumstance. I continued to be thankful I hadn't been hit. It was my first step in acknowledging the presence and governance of God.

When I got to work, I washed up a bit in the restroom. My plan was to put on my work clothes and finish the day out, then have my wife come pick me up. Initially, I reasoned that I could continue prayerful treatment right there at my desk. My disheveled appearance caused my co-workers to express their concern, though, and some wondered if I should go to the hospital to be checked out. Soon it was clear that I needed to go home and really take care of myself, attending to my practical needs as well as taking time for more focused prayer.

I called my wife, and she was able to leave work and come to take me home. She helped me wash the dirt out of the wounds more thoroughly, and I bandaged up the wounds. I also wrapped my wrist in a large bandage. Then, my wife headed back to work, and I settled down to read from my Bible and Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, by Mary Baker Eddy.

I began to think about how the morning had started. Even though it was rainy, there was an expectancy that it was going to be a clear day later on. So regardless of the temporary evidence that it was rainy, I had ridden my bike, confidently knowing that later the sun would come out. I reckoned that I needed to approach my prayerful treatment in the same way. Regardless of the current physical evidence before my eyes, trying to convince me that I was a broken and bruised mortal, I could pray with the absolute conviction that would see evidence that I was a perfect, spiritual, and healthy child of God.

Although my injuries were covered up, I really couldn't cover up the evidence of bones out of place in my wrist. I couldn't see that—but I felt it and heard it. I figured that you'd have to have an X-ray machine to "see" that problem. But then I thought about X-ray machines and what they do. They allow you to look deeper into matter. That's the exact opposite of how a Christian Science treatment works. In Christian Science you don't start with the problem and try to reason or pray your way to a solution. Instead, you start with what is spiritually right and true and let God-directed inspiration take you upward to freedom from there. I reasoned that what I really needed was mental, a "spiritual X-ray" that would allow me to see through matter completely to the truth of my being. While a matter X-ray highlights the problem, a "spiritual X-ray" would show me what's true—and it would heal!

As the day went on, the clouds outside lifted. This was very encouraging, as it helped me remain focused on the certainty of my perfect being in spite of any evidence to the contrary. There was physical progress throughout the day, too. The discomfort in my wrist abated, and I was seeing positive signs of healing.

When I found myself going over and over the accident in my head, I realized that wasn't at all helpful, and I began to replace those thoughts by thinking instead about spiritual ideas.

When I woke up in the morning, I decided to stay home from work for another day so that I could continue the prayerful treatment. But by morning of the following day, I was able to go in to work and use my wrist even more. This was important because I am a computer consultant, and typing is what I do all day.

After about another week, the scrapes and bruises cleared up, and my wrist was functioning completely normally.

Several months later I noticed that every time somebody mentioned an event in the past—such as "Remember when we did this or that?" I found myself thinking, "That was before the crash" or "That was after the crash." Clearly "the crash" still had a very distinct place in my thought. Then I started to catch myself and replace those thoughts with the distinct memory of healing. As I did this, I let go of the negative memories; I saw that the event had never had any power over me. I felt at peace and, since that time, have continued to ride my bike.

TOM MANGELSDORF
SUN PRAIRIE, WISCONSIN, US