Testimony of Healing

Healed in the presence of God

As our children grew into their late teens and twenties, we gave up our traditional Christmas celebration at home for a family ski trip. We settled on the beautiful Rocky Mountains of Montana as our traditional holiday destination. In addition to looking forward to the superb skiing, we always came together with a warm feeling of homecoming.

One year, after we'd all gathered for another wonderful holiday from our respective locations on both coasts, I decided to take a starlit walk around the loop road that surrounded the property. The icy December night was crisp and clear, and my heart was filled with joy, gratitude, and anticipation of the happy days to come.

As I rounded the corner at the farthest point of the loop, I slipped on the ice and fell heavily with one leg under me. The pain was so severe that I was momentarily acutely afraid I wouldn't be able to get up. I was at least a quarter of a mile away from our condo, and there was no one nearby who could help me. But I had no doubt that divine aid was close at hand. Immediately I began to pray.

My first thought was to ask God to help me get back home. In prayer, I began to declare that my true identity was entirely spiritual—it actually had no more physicality, vulnerable to injury and pain, than thought itself. This reminded me of a line from a hymn: "Thought soars enraptured, fetterless and free" (Christian Science Hymnal, No. 64). Thought is never hampered or encumbered by bodily circumstances. Mentally, I could be anywhere—a beach in Hawaii, a park in the city, a cozy armchair at home.

As I continued to pray, I clearly glimpsed the mental nature of my being as God's spiritual idea. It was so real to me that in the next moment, I was able to stand up. I felt no fear about putting weight on my leg, or that it was going to hurt. I started walking back home, though a little gingerly at first. By the time I reached our door, I was completely free of any pain or any other effect of the fall. I was able to participate fully in the very active week that followed, which included some of the best skiing I've ever done.

Looking back on this experience and relating it to others, I felt a little apologetic that my first thought hadn't been quite on target, prayerfully speaking—I had been asking God to help me get home, where I could then pray more diligently for myself. But when I was telling someone about this healing, I realized just how powerful that first thought was. It acknowledged the presence of God right where I was. It acknowledged God's ability and willingness to care for me and to hear me—to give me the thoughts that I needed, in any circumstance. In effect, it opened the way for the inspiration that followed, which lifted me out of the thoughts of accident, pain, or debilitating consequences.

I am grateful for the lesson that this experience brought home to me—that whenever we realize that we are in the presence of God—in what the Bible calls that "secret place”—we can expect answers. Expect healing. Expect to feel His/Her arms wrapped around us, bringing comfort and peace.

Mell Schoening
Kenmore, Washington

Reprinted with permission from the Christian Science Sentinel
Copyright © 2004 The Christian Science Publishing Society
All rights reserved.