‘I stood up without pain’

Juliet Blake

Several years ago when I was living in New York City, I was rushing to work one morning and decided to take out two heavy bags of recycling. As I made my way down the steep and narrow steps of my building, I had no free hand to steady myself, and I lost my footing and went plummeting down the steps. My full body weight, as well as the weight of the bags, came down on my left knee.

After I collected myself, I arose and discovered I was unable to walk. It felt as if I had broken my knee—I could not put any weight on that leg at all.

So I sat down on the landing and proceeded to give myself a Christian Science treatment. Even though I was immobile and running late for work, I recall that my thinking did not become flooded with a lot of dark “what ifs.” I felt that I was calmly following Mary Baker Eddy’s instruction: “Let neither fear nor doubt overshadow your clear sense and calm trust, that the recognition of life harmonious—as Life eternally is—can destroy any painful sense of, or belief in, that which Life is not” (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 495).

I prayed from the basis of perfection: that because God is perfect, I am created perfect, in His image and likeness; and there could be no room for imperfection in the form of accident or illness, any more than darkness can invade the light. I reasoned along these lines for no more than a few minutes when suddenly I experienced what I can only call a glimpse of pure spiritual reality. It was only a moment, but a moment was all it took.

I stood up without pain and resumed my trek to work, even picking up and depositing the two heavy bags of recycling on my way. Living in New York City requires a lot of walking, and I was taking public transit as well, which meant I needed to go up and down steps. I was able to accomplish all of this with ease and unimpeded freedom.

God had settled the matter in the wink of an eye. Mrs. Eddy reminds us, “Jesus required neither cycles of time nor thought in order to mature fitness for perfection and its possibilities” (Unity of Good, p. 11). This healing reminds me that no matter what the material picture presents, the spiritual truth is that behind the clouds the sun is always shining.

Juliet Blake
Atlanta, Georgia, US

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