`No-Fault' Healing
WOULDN'T life be easier for all of us if when something went wrong there were less emotion that wallows in placing blame and more concern with simply correcting the difficulty? Whether the mistake is our own or another's, the need is always for healing. And the sooner we begin seeking solutions through prayer, the quicker the needed reformation can occur.
Blame is not as innocent as it might appear. We know the source of problems needs to be faced, yet often we haven't prayed enough to discern the proper solution. In a fit of haste to do something, we resort to blame. The accused feels victimized by a lack of understanding, and little healing results.
When healing is our primary objective, we are most interested in discovering solutions, not in handing out reproof or censure. Sincerity and a genuine desire to see spiritual values strengthened open the way for resolutions that benefit all concerned.
Right in the thick of the difficulty, for example, we can silently pray to understand that God, divine good, is in control of all his creation. This helps us to remain calm and receptive to God's direction. He speaks to the one who has erred as well as to us, and we can depend upon His love and understanding to bring harmony to any situation.
Blaming one another for mistakes tends to alienate and divide. And, as we read in Proverbs, ``A brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city.''1 On the other hand, healing any feeling of blame or condemnation in our own thinking will allow us to treat our fellowman in a way that nurtures his receptivity to good, also. When our lives are characterized by such qualities as forgiveness, patience, thoughtfulness, we will contribute much more to the healing process than we can by clinging to personal beliefs about what should or should not be done.
When looking for the proper way to respond to others, we can always depend on the Golden Rule to steer us rightly: ``All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them.''2 Or, as The New English Bible puts it, ``Always treat others as you would like them to treat you.''
Christ Jesus, who gave us the Golden Rule, has given us an unmatched example of how to live by it. He knew that God has endowed man with the ability to express His own good qualities -- qualities such as wisdom, purity, and love -- and he treated and healed others according to this understanding.
We too can look at others from the spiritual perspective Jesus taught. Instead of dwelling on personal faults, we can look deeper into the spiritual individuality of man. As a more enlightened view of man takes hold of our consciousness, we will be less interested in blaming and more interested in healing. And we can begin to heal because we will be reflecting the same redeeming Love that Jesus did.
Mary Baker Eddy, the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, writes, ``The rich in spirit help the poor in one grand brotherhood, all having the same Principle, or Father; and blessed is that man who seeth his brother's need and supplieth it, seeking his own in another's good.''3
As we each endeavor to cease blaming and start healing, we will all move toward this ``one grand brotherhood,'' where brotherly love prevails. When healing is the top priority, blame and excuse won't stymie progress and healing. And life will be more just and equitable for everyone.
1Proverbs 18:19. 2Matthew 7:12. 3Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 518.
