“If you can help your neighbor now, don’t say, ‘Come back tomorrow, and then I’ll help you.’”
Have you ever seen a friend or neighbor struggling with a problem, and you thought, “I could help them with my prayers,” but you didn’t offer to help them? Maybe you were afraid to offer for fear of rejection, or concerned that your prayers wouldn’t show any positive difference. Or maybe you thought it wasn’t a good time to offer help, and you would consider it again tomorrow. But then that moment tomorrow never came. It certainly has happened to me before.
Well, next time, be wiser than the carnal mind that would keep good from happening for you and them, and proceed to offer help. Your prayers will always make a positive difference.
You don’t need to make any big promises. You don’t need to make any promises at all. Genuine care and love are almost always welcome.
If they say no, that’s okay. No harm has been done. But your care has been shown, and that is important. You actually have helped them already by letting them know an option is available. And that may make all the difference for them later if their other options are not working out.
In the book “We Knew Mary Baker Eddy” is the story about Joseph Mann who was shot in the heart with a 32 caliber revolver. Four doctors agreed that there was nothing that could be done to save his life because the bullet was lodged in a sac of tissue that surrounds the heart. This was in 1886 and at that time surgeons were not able to remove a bullet lodged that closely to the heart. So everyone just waited for Joseph Mann to die.
But before he did die, a Christian Scientist came to the house in which Joseph Mann lay dying and ASKED if he could give Mann Christian Science treatment. At first the family declined because they didn’t want anyone to “experiment” on their family member. But the Christian Scientist explained that Joseph Mann wouldn’t be touched or given medicine. Almost at once after the Christian Scientist starting giving Christian Science treatment Joseph Mann started to recover. And ultimately he was completely healed.
If you were presented with this same scenario, would you go to the family and ask if you could be allowed to give Christian Science treatment for the injured person? I doubt many of us would answer “yes” to that question. I know prior to thinking about this I would have definitely answered “no” to that question. But just think about it for a second. The Christian Scientist that helped Joseph Mann must have been 100% certain of the laws of God as explained by Christian Science in order to offer to help when presented with such overwhelming evidence of imminent death. Can’t we too be that confident in Christian Science?
I started thinking about this when I realized one day how important it is to clear my thinking of doubt. As I mentioned in a previous comment I’ve made to this blog, in Science and Health Mrs. Eddy explains that neither “doubt” nor “fear” can be allowed in our thinking if we expect to be successful healers. So now whenever I detect doubt in my thinking I do specific prayerful work to remove it.
In addition to the Joseph Mann incident, I’ve also been thinking about how Mrs. Eddy would often instruct her students, after only a few days of class lessons, to go out and heal someone…and they would! Often the opportunity to heal came about as a result of the student seeing someone in some type of distress and having the confidence to talk to that person about Christian Science and pray for them. And again, this was after those people had only received a few lessons on Christian Science! If you ever think “you don’t know enough” to give Christian Science treatment, just think about how this and banish that negative suggestion from your thinking. If you know how to reflect Love, you know how to give Christian Science treatment!
Thank you Evan for this wonderful blog post today…and everyday!
Thank you Brian for your contribution today.
I have read it twice and feel blessed and encouraged by what you wrote. CS is relatively new to me and you answered a pressing question I had. Once again, thanks!
Amen. See the article “Confidence” in the Anthology collection. “Doubt” is seen as simply a confidence in failure! But we can’t fail if we know that we don’t really DO the healing. TRUTH does the work — that’s actually ALREADY done the work! The truth is, the patient is already well and knows it. Our work is simply to know that truth, to bear witness to that indisputable fact, with confidence in almighty divine Love to cast out of thought all evidence to the contrary as lies, pure illusion, (See Miscellaneous Writings by Mary Baker Eddy, 220:4)
Thanks Evan for continuing to inspire us day after day, and to encourage us to be good and true.
Brian your comment is great. It will surely help and encourage us to give Christian Science Treatment and bring about healings.
Yes of course it is indeed so simple to show genuine care and love to the person who needs it. One should never postpone it to another day.
Evan you put this so well : Quote: If they say no, that’s okay. No harm has been done. But your care has been shown, and that is important. You actually have helped them already by letting them know an option is available. Unquote
So one must never hesitate to help or to show genuine care and love to anyone in need.
Divine Love is expressing (impelling !) love throughout Her infinite Creation.
We really have no choice but to reflect our Source.
Thank you, Evan.
Great comments, everyone!
:<))))))))))))
I’m with everyone else with great respect for this blog and Brian’s comments as well. What a nice way to start the day. It’s all about helping and healing – sharing the love.
Yes, great blog, and great comments! Thank you all. Brian’s account of the healing of Joseph Mann was very inspiring.
Every time my health provider (NURSE AIDE) thinks she lost something, I think to myself, NO YOU DIDN’T and 2 minutes later she finds it. HOW? Because nothing is misplaced In God’s kingdom. Also, I want to point out that mortal mind wants very much to usurp God’s power, so I fool it by making believe that I worry. Then I do my work knowing nothing can take over the good that God produced. Trust me it works by manipulating mortal mind to believe in it’s so called ability and throws it off course, mortal mind suggestion. That’s all it is, don’t take it in and you will beat it by it’s own conceit.
Great Topic, Great Blog, Evan, and great comments by Brian and all others! And special thanks to Tobias for that tip, re. fooling mortal mind! I just bought the pamphlet, “Wiser Than Serpents” with the Article of the same name by John M. Tutt. It talks of how we need to be wiser than animal magnetism, as the “serpent” hides itself in our own thinking. We must seek for it there! Great Article! Read it…..you’ll like it! Happy Day!
I understand when a person prays for someone using CS techniques they first need to get the person’s permission. However no permission is needed to pray for someone in secret. I believe Jesus told his disciples that when they prayed they were to go into their closet, shut the door, and to pray to their heavenly Father in secret.
It seems to me that telling someone you will be praying for them, although this will convey the message you care for them; it is not the way Jesus wanted his followers to pray. Have I missed something here? Is praying for others in secret optional.
Jesus did mention there were benefits of two or more followers praying together – we can’t do this in secret!
Hi Gary, I may be wrong, but I can’t think of single instance where Jesus healed someone without first being asked for help by that person, or a member of that person’s family. In one sense Christian Science treatment can be considered as a means of health care, like taking medicine or acupuncture. Now how would you feel if someone secretly gave you medicine or secretly stuck needles in you because THEY thought they knew what was best for YOU? Christian Science respects the rights of each individual and therefore out of consideration it teaches that one should not give specific prayerful treatment to another individual without first getting the consent of that person.
To me “praying in secret” is more of a “technique” for praying versus a method of helping someone without their consent. Going in to the closet of prayer as explained in Science and Health is a technique whereby we shut out all material suggestions and that enables us to hear God.
Just my two cents. I respect your ideas on this subject too, I just thought since you asked I would give you my understanding of Jesus’ instruction for praying in secret.
Hi Brian, Thanks for your “two cents” comment. I’ll be thinking about your words which are far more valuable than a couple of pennies!
You said, “To me “praying in secret” is more of a “technique” for praying versus a method of helping someone without their consent.” This does change the picture I had in my mind. I agree it is vital we keep our focus of/on God’s presence clear and lovely when praying.
Hi Gary,
My sense of “praying ins secret,” as Jesus instructed, was to enter into a pure consciousness of spiritual truth where you can clearly hear God’s voice of Truth speaking to you. It requires one to shut down the noisy material senses.
As for praying for others, we always can hold the right idea of our fellowman in thought whether they ask us to pray for them or not. That is a moral and spiritual obligation we should take seriously about how we think about our neighbor. To see them in God’s light.
As for giving specific Christian Science treatment, it is most ethical and respectful to ask first, just as a doctor would never treat a patient without permission.
Hope that helps.
Thanks Evan. There seem to be many perspectives regarding what it can mean to pray in secret. I’m still thinking about this one.
Like you say though, and I agree, we can always hold the right idea of our fellow man in thought whether we’re asked to pray for them or not. This actually is part of our Christian duty; it is part of keeping our mind “stayed on Thee.” However, I might note, giving someone an unasked for CS treatment prayer also is called “mental trespassing,” which MBE wisely prohibited.
Thanks, Evan, for your beautiful message today (and every day). It brings to mind an example I’ve thought about many times over the years. When I was still in Sunday School, a woman came to our church for the first time. One of our members who knew her expressed surprise to see her. She said, “I never thought you’d want to come to our church.” The woman replied, “You never asked!. But someone else did.” That woman became a member of our church and was there for many years.
Brian’s comments reminded me, too, of my own class instruction. My teacher gave us an assignment one day to go home and give a treatment. How was I going to do that, I wondered. That evening, a loved one expressed concern over how terrible he was feeling. I asked if I could give him a Christian Science treatment and he agreed, then went to bed. In the morning, he popped right out of bed feeling great. I couldn’t resist asking, though, how he felt. He looked puzzled at my question and said “fine. Why?” When I reminded him about our conversation the evening before, he couldn’t even remember feeling poorly! That showed me how thorough the healing work can be.