Quick healing after bike crash

Last summer, just before beginning a short triathlon—swim, bike, run—my buddy and I (both Christian Scientists) quietly repeated “the scientific statement of being” from Science and Health (see p. 468). Repeating that statement helped me focus on God as I started the swim. I wanted to maintain a continual awareness of His ever-presence moving me through the whole race, rather than relying on physical strength and speed.

After the swim, I decided to catch up some lost ground on my bike by picking up speed at Mile 7, on a long sloping downhill. Halfway down I saw that my speedometer read 36 mph. Then I noticed a biker stopped directly in my path. All I had time to do was yell, “Hey!” before I hit him straight on and went flying in the air. The next thing I knew I was on my back in the middle of the road. I was so shocked that I didn’t know what to think or feel.

Then I heard a race volunteer repeating, “Don’t move! An ambulance is on the way.” I felt very confused, but then the thought came, “You are a Christian Scientist. So act like it!” I knew as a Christian Scientist it was my duty to be obedient to Moses’ First Commandment, not to bow down to any other power than God (see Ex. 20:3, 4). Science and Health states that “there is no power apart from God … and to acknowledge any other power is to dishonor God” (Science and Health, p. 228).

Lying there, I affirmed that my health and safety come from God alone, because He created me spiritually (see Gen. 1:26). I therefore knew that a material body could never determine my health and safety. With that wake-up call I became peaceful and stood up. I’ve always relied on Christian Science treatment to heal injuries, so I knew that I could rely on it this time. I thanked the volunteer, but told him I wouldn’t need an ambulance. Then, I called my dad and asked him to contact a Christian Science practitioner for prayerful support.

I remember, at that point, being faced with the decision either to be angry with the biker who had stopped in the middle of the race—or to express love. I instantly knew that no healing could take place if I expressed anything less than unconditional love. It is impossible to see yourself as God’s child if you cannot see others the same way. I mentally refused to accept that anything could be out of place in God’s kingdom, neither a disobedient man nor a broken material body. I instantly and completely forgave the man I’d run into and felt an incredible flood of love for all those around me. The overwhelming peace and love I felt released me from all fear and worry. I was also deeply grateful to find out that the other biker had suffered no hurt.

I knew that my job was to submit to the divine will and feel God’s love without exception. I refused to outline how this healing would take place, even though I was in pain and aware there were significant wounds and bruises. But I knew that God’s perfection had to be completely manifested in my experience in the form of physical healing. I just kept holding to the amazing “tidal wave” of God’s love I felt from my refusal to be hypnotized into seeing anything but God’s perfect, spiritual, good creation everywhere.

The race officials kindly cleaned me up and bandaged my wounds. In my prayer I kept affirming that God never takes us halfway, so healing must be complete in every way. I was still God’s whole spiritual creation, and nothing could ever change that.

That night the pain was severe. I’d been having difficulty walking and standing up straight, and I was concerned that I might have broken some bones. But I continued to pray, knowing that I could not be hurt by expressing divine freedom and love—freedom in the triathlon and in my desire to love everyone involved. Every time the pain tempted me to believe in a power apart from God, I refused.

The next day I was able to get dressed and go to work with only slight hindrance. The wounds had significantly diminished, and the bandages were no longer needed. The overwhelming sense of God’s healing love still flooded my thinking, and fear of permanent physical damage and broken bones was gone. By the following day I had complete freedom of movement and was able to run my usual five miles and be active in my workouts—painlessly, with complete mobility, and without any stiffness.

My bike, however, looked badly damaged. I knew, though, that whatever was needed, be it getting a new bike or having the bike fixed, I would have. Within a week, the race officials offered to inspect my bike for free. Since it was an expensive professional triathlon bike made of carbon fiber, any cracked part of the frame would need to be completely replaced. I received word that, amazingly, my bike had sustained no major damages at all and only required basic tuning. The bike mechanics were in disbelief when I told them what had happened. I was able to pay for all the minor fixes and got my bike back in better condition than it had been in when I’d started the race. God had supplied every need.

I’m so grateful for the immediate and absolute protection Christian Science brings to our lives. It truly is the “pearl of great price.”

Rob Nofsinger | Boston, Massachusetts, US