What shows up when you show up

A group of us were recently asked what we had to contribute to the project we were undertaking. The first few answers were offers of physical things or degrees or titles. The moderator then rephrased the question and asked what kinds of qualities each one brought to the table. After some thought, group members shared attributes such as diligence, persistence, and compassion.

Those gathered began to recognize how one in the group had good leadership skills, while another was a wonderful organizer, and a third had other skills. We also learned that wherever we went, wherever we showed up, those qualities showed up with us and were a natural part of our expression. By the end of the meeting, we had defined ourselves by the qualities we expressed instead of our accomplishments or possessions.

How refreshing to identify ourselves in this way. Although we'd been used to seeing ourselves in terms of material things or human history, this exercise helped us recognize that we all had a lot more to offer than just our physical being or credentials. There are important mental and spiritual ones to draw on.

Over 2,000 years ago, Christ Jesus spent his ministry teaching his countrymen about spiritual values and the divine nature within us all. Many people of his time had hoped for a Messiah who would free them from slavery through physical prowess. But Jesus stressed that true freedom came by developing a spiritual perspective, by knowing the truth. Jesus was actually inciting a revolution in consciousness that brought greater peace to those who followed him better than any warrior ever could.

The book of John in the Bible states that Jesus said, "Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (8:32). The Bible also says that "Jesus ... saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick" (Matt. 14:14). These two verses taken together would indicate that Jesus' conviction that truth brings freedom actually cured those around him. In other words, when he showed up, healing showed up!

The healing Christ, which Jesus embodied, is as present now as when he walked the earth 20 centuries ago. Relying on Christ, or Truth, brings healing and comfort. In the same way that Jesus reached out to those in need around him, the Christ reaches out today to restore and regenerate. In other words, healing still shows up here and now, when the Christ shows up in our thoughts and lives.

In "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," author Mary Baker Eddy explained how this Christ power is available today, even though the man Jesus has been gone for centuries. She wrote: "The Christ was the Spirit which Jesus implied in his own statements: 'I am the way, the truth, and the life;' 'I and my Father are one.' This Christ, or divinity of the man Jesus, was his divine nature, the godliness which animated him" (page 26). That animating power, God, directed, inspired, and produced every healing that occurred. And it is continuing to produce healing today.

Jesus affirmed that this would be the case when he said, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father" (John 14:12). This statement indicates that the healing that Jesus practiced would continue through those who believed in him.

Mary Baker Eddy agreed, writing, "In our age Christianity is again demonstrating the power of divine Principle, as it did over nineteen hundred years ago, by healing the sick and triumphing over death" (page 232). Jesus' miracles were not confined just to his time period, and Mrs. Eddy healed and taught others to heal.

Thousands of people have benefited from learning the scientific explanation of the healing Christ found in Science and Health. Referring to Jesus, Mrs. Eddy said, "It is his theology in this book and the spiritual meaning of this theology, which heals the sick and causes the wicked to 'forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts'" (Science and Health, pages 138-139).

Healing still shows up when the Christ shows up.