Qualities of healing

Christian healing is available to everyone. Each of us has the potential to heal and he healed through God's power alone. How? By prayer and spiritual understanding that bring a clear realization of the all-powerful, ever-present nature of God and the perfection of the universe He created.

But sometimes the strident claims of matter, the pain and sufferings, seem so jarring. The fact that God is omnipotent good appears remote and difficult to grasp. I have found that one effective means of cracking the shell of confusion that materiality builds is to contemplate deeply the qualities of God. And really strive to express and bear witness to these qualities in my life.

The Bible and the Christian Science textbook, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures,m are indispensable guides to discovering and defining these spiritual qualities. Characters in the Old and New Testaments show us how divine qualities can be expressed in day-to-day living. For instance, the story of Jacob is a vivid account of how matter-based thinking, involving greed and fear, was replaced, after great prayer and striving, with courage, goodness, and love. As these qualities became more evident in his life, several ugly situations were resolved, culminating in a reconciliation with his brother.

David too proved how qualities such as mercy and trust in God triumphed in the face of overwhelming difficulties. Many of the psalms traditionally attributed to him indicate deep understanding of God's nature. They are an inspiration to present-day students in their search to learn more about God and about man's ture, spiritual nature. In Psalms we read, "The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy." n1 Aren't these qualities everyone needs?

n1 Psalms 103:8

The life of Christ Jesus is the supreme example of how spiritual qualities can be manifested to great effect. Both his healing work and many of his parables illustrate Godlike qualities and show how these are needed to bring healing into our lives.

Recently I was suffering great physical discomfort, which persisted despite my earnest prayers and the prayers of a Christian Science practitioner.

The practitioner and I often talked about man's spiritual selfhood as God's expression, and I longed truly to understand and feel what that meant. So each day I thought about a Godlike quality and tried to live it every moment. I started with patience and then love and found that irritation and impatience readily came under control.

As these negative conditions were replaced by spiritual qualities, I began to get a clear sense of God's nearness and my relationship to Him. The discomfort soon disappeared; but learning about God through striving to express His qualities continues. In trying to live more joy, grace, health, truthfulness, I am learning step by step how to prove the indestructibility of my unity with God.

Mary Baker Eddy n2 states of Christian Science, "Our system of Mind-healing rests on the apprehension of the nature and essence of all being, -- on the divine Mind and Love's essential qualities." N3 Spiritual qualities are not obscure or beyond our reach. They are our herittage -- the the substance of our being -- as children of God. As we live them they bring healing.

n2 Mrs. Eddy is the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science.

n3 Science and Health,m p. 460.

DAILY BIBLE VERSE Go not into the way of the Gentiles, . . . but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give. Matthew 10:5-8

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