Protection at Gym and Courage to Report the Situation

A few Friday’s ago, after finishing work, I went for my lovely workout at our gym which I really enjoy. I was laying on the ground in the stretch area and was listening to a favorite recording on the church website – “Christian Science Protective Work” by Bicknell Young in my earbuds. As I was stretching and deeply listening I began to feel a very menacing presence emanating from a man working out in the corner. Now our gym is a lovely environment very busy with men and women working out peacefully and sharing the space, so this menacing presence really stood out. Although I didn’t know the man, I felt strongly called to focus and actively pray with the article and this statement: quote “This treatment is the only power, force, activity, effectiveness, presence and substance of infinite good. It is the word of God” by Bicknell Young

I felt the holy power in this as I went through the routine on the floor in the stretch area. Just then things seemed to slow down and as I moved into a rolled position suddenly that man was bizarrely heading for my head with his foot, I rolled further to protect myself as his foot brushed harmlessly over my head, kicking some equipment out of my hands and kicking over my water bottle that was sitting beside my head. At first I felt sorry for myself “what did I do wrong”, but I quickly stopped as we are taught at this church there are no victims or villains in God’s kingdom and then just as swiftly came the thought “Don’t worry about it, your head is fine, you don’t want to cause a scene,” but then I thought of my Plainfield practitioner who often says to error “the hell you say” because it is important to rebuke wrongdoing. And so then I jumped so quickly like immediately like lightning I didn’t know I could move that fast and went straight and reported this to the gym management. I told them to timestamp and view the CCTV footage.I showed a photo of where his foot had kicked things, pointed him out to management and stated that this was aggressive and menacing behaviour and totally unnecessary as we all know to walk around others in the stretch area. I did not speak to the man, but he could see what we were doing and he ran out of the gym.

Later on in praying about this, it came to me that this man can be blessed by knowing that he can love his God and his fellow man and cease that baseless aggression – cease sinning in this way. A simple idea came for me to switch to a morning workout instead, which is safer in my city anyhow. I then felt peaceful and that I had done the right thing. On visits to the gym since, the gym management had not known how to handle this ongoing aggression exhibited by this person – apparently it had been going on for quite some time. No one had not known what to do about it. So when the gym management watched the CCTV footage, they saw what he did, they were able to identify him, contact him by phone and notify him that his membership has been cancelled. Since then the gym management have made special efforts to come and thank me many times for speaking up, as still more people have come forward and they have been grateful to now provide a safe environment for everyone.

Of course, it was only God in Christian Science that stopped that foot from kicking my head and I am very grateful that I was not hurt! I am very grateful to be learning how to live according to pure Christian Science at this church, and everyone has been blessed by the prayer that surrounded that whole situation at our gym. Our dear forever leader Mary Baker Eddy was so good and kind and loving, returning blessing for cursing just as Christ Jesus did, and I am so grateful for Christian Science.