By Tressie Armstrong
From the March 2, 2020 issue of the Christian Science Sentinel
I love to surf. I love the whole idea of being in the ocean. And I love all of the ocean creatures that share the environment with us.
“I lifted my foot and noticed a small puncture and scratch with a tiny bit of bleeding.”
So when I rode a nice wave into the shore and stepped onto the sand, I was just a little surprised to feel a sharp sting and scrape across the top of my big toe. As I paddled back out to the lineup, I lifted my foot and noticed a small puncture and scratch with a tiny bit of bleeding. I mentioned to my friends that I thought I’d grazed a stingray.
Their concern prompted them to immediately advise me that I should get out of the water right away, that in a short time it was going to begin to really hurt, and that I should take immediate steps to alleviate the potential painful effects of the ray’s poison.
I decided to get out of the ocean and go home, and my toe did begin to increasingly burn and sting. But as I was leaving, my thoughts shifted in a whole different direction—I mentally turned toward God and away from the fears. I remembered and held to these words from Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy: “All of God’s creatures, moving in the harmony of Science, are harmless, useful, indestructible” (p. 514).
I also remembered that when I first felt the barb of this creature, I thought, “Oh, I know this little guy means no harm. He was just protecting himself from this big person stepping on him.” And I had really felt no concern in that moment. With these thoughts, I was again feeling free of concern and confident in the truth of God and His harmless creation.
As a result of this sudden change in my thinking and expectation, the healing took place quickly. I got in the shower at home, and by the time I got out, there was absolutely no evidence of having encountered an ocean creature in any negative way. There was no puncture, no scrape, and absolutely no pain.
I was so happy to prove that all of God’s creatures do move in the harmony of Science, and that we can fearlessly enjoy other environments with great appreciation for the natural beauty of God’s creating.
Tressie Armstrong
Carlsbad, California, US
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