You are named, valued, and oh so loved!
A Christian Science perspective: Healing ideas on finding our value and place in society.
The article titled “As China ends one-child policy, illegally born kids ask: ‘What about us?’ ” explains that at least 13 million children, called “nonpersons” or “black children” do not have legal rights in China that allow them to do even the simplest daily activities, such as getting on a train or borrowing a book from a library. After reading this story, I wanted to reach out to these innocent ones with healing prayer. Surely this policy cannot define who these children truly are – who God, divine Love, knows them to be.
My study of the Bible and of Christian Science has taught me that everyone is named and has an identity as a child of God. Each one is the needed and valued expression of God, manifesting His goodness and love. Prayer helps us recognize each individual’s precious worth and honor it, giving us courage to move forward and become valuable contributors to society, and helping others move in this direction as well.
I find inspiration for prayer in Christ Jesus’ teachings: “Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God? But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows” (Luke 12:6, 7). He also encouraged, “Rejoice, because your names are written in heaven” (Luke 10:20).
These powerful passages proved healing for me at a time when I felt as if I had little identity and worth. As small as it may have seemed, I realized I couldn’t identify myself according to social norms. On the first day of a new class, the teacher asked each of us students to tell about ourselves. When my turn came, I said, “Well, I don’t have any children. I don’t have a husband, and I don’t have a job.” And even though we all had a friendly chuckle together, I felt exposed, nameless, and valueless. That empty and embarrassing feeling led me to my Bible later on, where I discovered that each of us is already known and cherished by our Father-Mother God. We each have a specific identity and purpose, already established for us in God.
It helped me to think of God’s children using the example of the numbers system. Each number has its own properties and its own value within the system. But if one of those numbers were removed, the whole system would collapse! We couldn’t suddenly throw out the number 8 and consider the system of numbers workable. And so it is with each of us as God’s, or Spirit’s, unique ideas – each one is needed to express God fully. And because God is infinite, each one of us is provided for, and we each have a contribution to make that blesses all.
Mary Baker Eddy, the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, helps explain and confirm these spiritual concepts when she writes: “Spirit duly feeds and clothes every object, as it appears in the line of spiritual creation, thus tenderly expressing the fatherhood and motherhood of God. Spirit names and blesses all. Without natures particularly defined, objects and subjects would be obscure, and creation would be full of nameless offspring, – wanderers from the parent Mind, strangers in a tangled wilderness” (“Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures,” p. 507).
This statement helped me understand that neither I nor anyone could be an unknown “wanderer” or “stranger in a tangled wilderness” of job markets or cultural identities or norms. This was because my purpose, my individual place, was being clearly defined by divine Spirit who is naming and blessing me – and everyone. By keeping these truths closely in thought, I felt myself being led to explore certain opportunities, and I found a job. Soon after, a family happily followed. Prayer enlightened my thought and gave me the sense of purpose and confidence to go forward, which met my practical needs and helped me make changes in my life.
Employing these same powerful truths about God in our prayers for all those in search of an identity, purpose, or recognition helps to expose the darkness of loveless human systems. An enlightened sense that divine Love is governing transforms human consciousness and reveals the omnipotence and supremacy of God. As thought changes, we each can find our individual value and discover practical solutions that prove to be just right for our situation. Under the reign of divine Love, we are not forgotten. We are named, valued, needed, and deeply loved.