What does one need to be healed? What does one need to grow spiritually?

Spiritual resource to share: willingness

These two questions are inseparable. Being healed spiritually is a whole transformation of thought that results in a more spiritualized thought and that may result in physical cure, balanced relationships and conditions, and improved character.

I was thinking about how Jesus healed. In so many of his healings, he required or asked something of the one seeking healing. Like the following:

And Jesus answered and said unto him, What wilt thou that I should do unto thee? Mark 10: 51
When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole? John 5: 6
Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk. John 5: 8

This made me ask, what was being asked of those seeking healing? What type of thought did they have that enabled them to grow spiritually and to be healed?

The first thought was that it was willingness. This actually covers a lot of ground. MBEddy says it succinctly:

Willingness to become as a little child and to leave the old for the new,
renders thought receptive of the advanced idea. SH 323

In other words, willingness to become new! To drop ego, and discard hidden or unhidden agendas, bad habits, anything that would limit, dependence on things or processes (like – “I have to have my morning coffee!”), rehearsing arguments in your head, rigidly outlining outcomes and so on.

Now this is easy when we are sick. Who wouldn’t want to be free of some sickness! But it is a little harder when dealing with sin.

What other qualities were expressed by those who were healed? With my own healings, and looking at those stories in which Jesus healed, there are some similar qualities of thought:

• An openness and receptivity to take in new ideas
• An expectation of good – expecting that there will be an insight, an improvement and satisfaction; expecting to be surprised with new insights and solutions
• Humility – that is that willingness to lay aside ego
• Giving our consent – similar to expectation, but consent gives permission or agreement to the healing and transformation expected
• Gratitude – seeing what is good and true in every situation; even the recognition of good in the smallest of circumstances can get you started in the right direction.
• Stating what is true – like gratitude, even stating what you already know to be true (that God is Love, that we are all created by God, Love, and so on…) can grow into a fuller understanding and acceptance of your wholeness and completeness.

As I look over my life and the healings I've had, of physical, relationship and financial problems, I see that they have all benefitted me personally, but most important of all, they have benefitted me spiritually, and I am so much better for it!




To share your thoughts on this or to explore this idea further, please feel free to be in contact with me, add your own comments below, email this article to a friend, or add to the healing finds and sites on the web to the right

the hero in us all

Spiritual resource to share: humility and willingness

My son and I have just finished watching three movies recently: Hotel Rwanda, Schindler's List and The Nativity Story. And interspersed with these viewings was a neat Sunday School conversation about what it means to be a hero.

The three men in the stories actually had a lot of spiritual qualities in common: humilty, willingness, listening to that voice within that rose up against injustice, and courage. But all three men were vastly different: Paul Rusesabagina was a family man who just wanted to be a good employee, Oskar Schindler was a ladies' man and war profiteer, and Joseph was a single man soon to be married.

But each man was thrown into circumstances that changed the course of history in various degrees. Each man varied in how long it took for a transformation to take place: Joseph's was immediate after he learned of Mary's conception. Rusesabagina grew as the cirumstances grew more dire. And Schindler's transformation took well after the start of the war.

Does one have to be a certain type of person to be a hero? The profiles of these three men show that heroes aren't a certain "type."

So what does this mean about heroes and what does this mean about us?

In our Sunday School class, we talked about the nature of Truth. MBEddy writes that "....
Christian Science speedily shows Truth to be triumphant." And that Truth, expressed in integrity, honesty and a foundation of love for mankind will be expressed. It doesn't matter what kind of person we are. As a reflection of God, we already have these qualities and it is our willingness to be of help and our humility to listen that bring these qualities of a hero forth.

To share your thoughts on this or to explore this idea further, please feel free to be in contact with me, add your own comments below, email this article to a friend, or add to the healing finds and sites on the web to the right.