Christ Jesus promised that anyone who would understand and be faithful to his teachings would be able to perform the works he did, and even greater works. That promise may seem way out of our reach until we consider how he ended that promise—“because I go unto my Father” (see John 14:12).
Jesus constantly went to his Father, to God, in prayer. He humbly submitted to divine Love’s parenting, and stayed true to his spiritual identity as the Christ, the Son of God. This enabled him to do his mighty healing works, and to fulfill his earthly mission to demonstrate God’s saving love for all humanity.
The key for Christian healers, then, is to place ourselves under divine Love’s parenting—become eager to learn from our divine Father of our true nature as His children and to grow in our ability to be true to God, ourselves, and others.
Bringing a little child to the attention of his disciples, Jesus said, “Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:3). The kingdom of heaven is where God reigns supreme, which is everywhere. And living as God’s children—under the wisdom and authority of our divine Father-Mother’s parenting—we can grow into the spiritual purity and maturity that enable us to learn and exercise the healing power of Christ, of Truth and Love.
Mary Baker Eddy, the Discoverer of the divine Science of Christ, put it this way: “To understand all our Master’s sayings as recorded in the New Testament, sayings infinitely important, his followers must grow into that stature of manhood in Christ Jesus which enables them to interpret his spiritual meaning. Then they know how Truth casts out error and heals the sick” (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 350).
So we need to “become” as God’s innocent “little children” and let God nurture us into spiritual maturity. But what is God’s parenting like?
In a recent radio discussion on parenting, one of the participants remarked that God was the worst example of parenting because His children were immediately disobedient. Ah! But that’s a misunderstanding of God’s true nature. And to understand God’s parenting, we need to understand His true nature as divine Love. Then we’ll eagerly turn to His loving care and guidance and joyfully obey Him.
According to the Bible, God is infinite Spirit, eternal Life, infallible Truth, and unchangeable Love. So God’s likeness, which exists in and of infinite Spirit, must be spiritual, immortal, perfect, and always expressing impartial, universal Love. This true identity, then—which we all express in infinite individual ways—has no material, mortal, imperfect, or unloving elements. As God’s likeness each of us is always in a state of spiritual maturity, the complete likeness of our creator. This is how God knows us, sees us, and loves us—even though, through the material senses, we see ourselves as imperfect mortals.
God awakens us to our true identity through Christ, the Truth Jesus lived. Christ speaks to our consciousness, assuring us that we are embraced in God’s redeeming love. We can feel God’s parenting love nurturing us whenever we pray with an eager receptivity to God’s message and yield to His, Her, loving care and guidance. And as we do this, we “grow into that stature of manhood in Christ Jesus which enables [us] to interpret his spiritual meaning” and “know how Truth casts out error and heals the sick.”
Everything necessary for our spiritual growth comes to us with unfailing consistency from God: love, comfort, encouragement, vision-expanding opportunities, healing, patience, forgiveness, and much more. But we need to, regularly, step back mentally from our daily responsibilities, human pride, human will, and fears to listen for and deeply cherish the spiritual ideas and guidance coming to us from our divine Parent.
There may be times when we feel like rebelling against having to set aside human will and cherished desires that seem out of our reach. But, just as it is important for an adolescent to move beyond rebelling against a human parent’s loving demands, it is vital, for the sake of our spiritual growth, for us to move beyond any rebellious impatience standing in the way. After all, the Christ, expressing God’s mothering and fathering love, is here to turn us toward God’s waiting arms and show us how to express God’s healing love through greater patience.
Once Jesus was told by the Pharisees that Herod would kill him if he didn’t depart from where he was. But instead of departing, he boldly expressed the depth of his love for all, which reflected the love of God working within him. He cried, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not!” (Luke 13:34). Yes, as Christ Jesus expressed so compassionately, God loves us, even when we rebel. Divine Love stands ready to gather us into its embrace to comfort us, correct us, heal us, and redeem and transform us.
God is also here for us when we become perplexed and worried about a loved one. I remember one time in particular when I was beside myself with worry about one of my children. But when I stopped to quietly pray for God’s guidance, it became clear to me that the same loving divine Parent who was right there loving me was right there to love and guide this child. I felt comforted, peaceful, and reassured that all would be well. Within just a few hours this child made a wise decision, and the troubling situation was quickly resolved.
God’s parenting is just what Christian healers need. It enables us to tenderly care for all God’s children—our brothers and sisters—with God’s healing love.
Barbara Vining
Editor
