The nature of God as pure goodness is naturally reflected in each of us; and Christ, God’s message to mankind, makes us aware of our Godlike identity—the reflection of God, divine Love itself. Christly thoughts come to our immediate rescue to pull us out of any discordant or threatening situation.
One morning, I read where Jesus says to his disciples, “He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him” (John 6:56). Those words may seem confusing or jarring if we are not conscious of what they spiritually mean. So, after reading, I pondered the meaning, staying open to more of what God, divine Mind, would reveal to me. The divine Mind is always reflected by man, our original, pure nature as God’s spiritual image and likeness.
A little later that morning, while driving to my office for an appointment, I developed an uncomfortable constriction in my chest. Right there and then, at a stoplight, I knew it was important to take a stand and lean on God, and I immediately declared the presence and power of omnipotent good. Then I heard myself saying something like, “Listen, you. Wake up! You know who you are.” It was my way of quickly awakening to my harmonious identity as God’s spiritual child, by mentally turning away from fear and physical sensation and standing with the one power, God.
I made a commitment to turn my thought away from the body to God, divine Truth and Love.
I clearly, firmly, and trustingly refuted the testimony of the material senses suggesting that I am a material mortal subject to illness. Before the light turned green, the inspiration I’d received a few hours earlier came to thought. I recalled what Jesus had asked his disciples to do, and I was willing to do it, too. Mary Baker Eddy, the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, explains, “His true flesh and blood were his Life; and they truly eat his flesh and drink his blood, who partake of that divine Life” (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 25). The angel thought that came to me was that my true identity, my true flesh and blood, is Christly. I could be obedient and accept and admit God, divine Life, as my substance.
What a relief this was! The discomfort lifted significantly, and this was followed by a quiet sense of love and gratitude. I made a commitment to turn my thought away from the body to God, divine Truth and Love. I learned that this is important to do in every Christian Science healing, or demonstration of Truth.
Diligently, I continued to fill thought with genuine love for God. I kept acknowledging and thanking Him, with childlike sincerity, for His abundant blessings. My prayer became a stream of conscious love that brought a tangible awareness of my unity with the Divine.
Within moments, even before I reached my office, divine Love had dissolved all fear and every symptom had vanished. Submerged in Christly love, I felt cherished, whole, and free.
But that was not all. The night before, I had badly burned the inside of my lower lip while eating something very hot. It was uncomfortable and sore, and a blister had begun to develop. That evening every trace of the burn and the soreness disappeared.
Because of our innate spirituality as children of God, reflecting the nature of Truth and Love, we all are worthy and able to walk, step by step, in the footsteps of our Master, Jesus, and prove, even if in small ways, that God is Life.
Every spiritual healing, no matter how modest, reveals that Life is God. The true relationship of God and man is already established just as soundly as a rule in mathematics has been established. We are divine Life’s eternal expression, without a beginning and without an end. Based on divine authority, and her consecrated life of prayer and unselfed love, Mrs. Eddy provides this guidance concerning our individual right to claim our Godlikeness: “The admission to one’s self that man is God’s own likeness sets man free to master the infinite idea. This conviction shuts the door on death, and opens it wide towards immortality” (Science and Health, p. 90).
We can prayerfully rise to discern our coexistence with God, and in doing so gain a clearer spiritual understanding of what Jesus meant when he said, “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:48).
Striving for mere human perfection isn’t helpful, as this aspiration can subtly trick us into thinking we have minds and egos of our own. This can make us willful, or even hypocritical. But the good news is that God will never leave us there. He lifts us up if we are willing to turn to Him and discover our present immortality. There is only one Ego and one divine will—infinite good. This Ego is expressed continuously, and includes all creation in love-filled, infinite, yet cohesive, oneness.
We are securely embraced in God’s majestic, spiritual universe. Our individual choice to turn, yield, and reflect the beatific qualities found in Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount—qualities such as mercy, humility, and love—can play a significant role in healing sickness and sin.
We are God’s, divine Life’s, eternal expression, without a beginning and without an end.
Seeing the vital need to reflect on who we truly are in relation to God, Mrs. Eddy gives this guidance in the Manual of The Mother Church: “Gratitude and love should abide in every heart each day of all the years” (p. 60). This may seem like a tall order; yet, as we do this willingly, it brings healing and spiritual joy. It’s helpful to note that the heading for this By-Law is titled “Easter Observances.” This shows me that gratitude and love are resurrection qualities. They mentally lift us up to recognize the divine influence in thought and heart. This recognition is healing.
To spiritual sense, every healing in Christian Science is a “revealing”—a discovery or uncovering—of our true, immortal, Christly nature as God’s reflection. Large and precious spiritual lessons keep flowing from each healing demonstration. Let’s cherish them. They are our everyday Easter benedictions, constantly lifting the veil of matter and the burden of material-mindedness.
You are God’s self-expression, and God is expressing His own likeness as you, continually, in bold and new ways. Because you have the God-given freedom to admit and gratefully insist on these spiritual facts in the Science of being, you can confidently say to yourself, “You know who you are.”
