“My headache’s bad.” “Her allergies are bothering her.” “His knee is acting up again.” Statements such as these seem to be a part of the daily conversation. But what are people really saying? And what do statements such as these tell us about our thinking? We could say that they’re just an attempt to describe something we’re dealing with. But the language deserves a closer look. When we say “my” this or that, or even talk about other people having ailments, are we subtly claiming the illness or dysfunction as ours or theirs?
In Christian Science, we’re taught that our entire identity is sourced in God. We are made in God’s image and likeness (see Genesis 1:26, 27). So, in essence we’re saying that it is God’s headache, God’s allergies, and God’s painful knee. That sounds ridiculous, doesn’t it?
To me, our Godly heritage is so beautifully explained in this passage from Romans: “ We are the children of God: and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ” (8:16, 17). The qualities we possess are inherently God-given. And qualities that are spiritual are not subject to material conditions.
