Anna Bowness-Park delivered an impressive keynote address at the Pacific Northwest Summit in Portland, Oregon, earlier this month.
While speaking on the topic of “Our Mission is to Heal,” she shared personal experiences of how she worked through feeling inadequate when asked for healing by patients with what appeared to be insurmountable problems.
When she was a new student of Christian Science and eager to learn more, but had much more to learn, a woman suffering from severe depression asked for her prayers. She hesitated, and reacted with, “Can I think about it?” The woman said, “Okay.” With growing panic about whether she could really help, Anna called her Christian Science teacher and asked her if she would take the case. The teacher wisely retorted, “She asked you for help, not me! Get over yourself.”
The words “Get over yourself,” have resonated in my ears ever since.
Get over yourself.
How often does the human ego get in the way of our helping others?
When opportunity to help appears, excuses roll in like a voracious thunderstorm threatening to drown us in fear. “I can’t do it. I don’t have enough understanding. I don’t have enough time. It’s too much trouble.” and on and on like there is no end.
I could think of times when personal fears got in the way of my helping others. Each time the excuse I entertained felt 100% legitimate. “Next time, I’ll be ready,” I would think with proud self-justification.
But it’s not good enough. There is a paramount spiritual demand to “Get over yourself,” and rise to the occasion and help when the opportunity appears. Not later when “We’re ready to help.” That’s a form of cowardice.
Feelings of personal inadequacy are just as immoral as feelings of trumped up pride or braggadocio. They are extremes of the same evil, the belief that there is more than one Mind.
We are never the healers. God is the healer. When asked for help by another, the demand is to get our self out of the way and let God’s love shine through to bless the patient’s thought. It doesn’t matter if we think too highly of ourselves or too lowly, either attitude is an equal evil to be dispensed with—and promptly!
So, if you’re bound up in personal ego, avoiding people in your neighborhood who suffer, acting like you don’t notice, or thinking you can’t help, it’s time to get over yourself! Shut that misleading human ego down and let God take the forefront in your life.
God can do the work, and the help will come if you are humble enough to let it happen through you.
“Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better [or worse] than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us” The Apostle Paul, Romans 12:3, NLT.
Oh, and by the way, Anna did pray for the woman who suffered with horrible depression, and she was healed, quickly.
Oh Evan – did I (that’s the small i!) need to receive that pointed rebuke today…. thank you so very much. Gillian
Good one Evan. Food for thought! Thanks.
Evan a very good point thank you for pointing this out. This really open my eyes.
Last year a dear in-law called long distance asking for my prayerful help as she was suffering from severe depression. I quickly responded affirmatively for the opportunity to share further with another the Christian Science explanation of man’s relationship to God. Afterward, a bit of fear as to my adequacy confronted me. The patient previously had laid low in conversation the thought of man as a spiritual idea in the image and likeness of God, contesting that the so called human form was true, not counterfeit. My work: to be first clear in thought as to my premise or foundation from which to know the Truth of fact. I did pray for clarity of thought for both the patient and myself during that day, understanding unequivocal wholeness with one God, divine Mind. The next day, the patient called with restored happiness, and has since remained so.
Thank you, Evan, for your many contributions by Spirit View and Daily Lifts. They are most helpful.
Just to express my gratitude to God and to you for being willing and obedient to the angels God sends you to share with us all!
Thank you Evan. I love all of your postings, but I especially love ones like this where you share insight into helping us better *practice* Christian Science (CS). Nothing will help the CS movement and our world more than improving our level of demonstrating CS (i.e. better healers, better church members, better at demonstrating truth, patience, love, kindness, etc.). Hmmm…now that I think about it, all of your postings deal with that topic! Nice job! 🙂
Really really appreciate your sharing and insight Evan!
Recently within the last 3 months, I went through the same temptation. But I instinctively refused to accept it since my desire has been as far back as a child to help people. I just do with what I understand C/S and go on from there. (1) A person being well known in C/S quarters had e-mailed me with a request to correspond to a non-Scientist which I did and I am with pure delight. (2) A devout friend of mine who is not following C/S also asking for help and I am doing that also with pure delight. I am actually utilizing C/S and enjoying every minute of it, giving credit only to God and not to myself.
Like you, I attended the Summit. Anna’s keynote was the “kick in the pants” that I needed to really be alert to any limiting, self-centered thoughts that get in the way of expressing God fully and freely. Gaining humility has been an important take-away from her talk. Since the Summit, I’ve been trying to really let go of personal sense so that I can actively for others and myself. Such an important lesson!
Thank you Evan, and all. Suffering from inadequacy has been a fault line in my spiritual progress; sometimes a mere crack – hardly noticeable, at others a Grand Canyonish expanse. Today after reading this I realized that those who call upon me for help, whether prayerful or human, call on the present placement of the perceived ability of the level of help available NOW. That is all they are requesting. Nothing more nor less. So, with “getting over myself”, letting what I know of Christ’s presence, power and grace be the baseline of approach – I am empowered to accept their invitation.
WOW! That was a much needed reminder that God is ALWAYS the healer and we just need to get out of the way for His work to be done. Whenever I would feel like “I” had to do something about a situation and that it was “my” responsibility, my teacher would say to me, “Oh honey, Just get off the track and let the train run.” We don’t need to do God’s job, we just need to do ours. Thanks so much Evan.
I can understand why we feel we are not ready or can’t do it now. I ask myself, who is talking? I realize it is the little i, the mortal mind that slips in and speaks. And yes, mortal mind can’t do it and knows it. Only God heals . I was reminded of this recently when a reocurring health problem wasn’t healing and when my grandson was going through a health issue. I thought if this little problem seems not to be going, gone where it never was and my prayers don’t seem effective for my grandson, do I understand this? BUT Where was I starting? as a child of God? no, I was starting from the limited sense that knows it can never ‘do’ it.
There was a comment Mary Baker Eddy said that went something like this: that her best healing occurred when Mary was out of the way.
Thank You Evan…such good thoughts…printed it out to keep reading it and put up where I can constantly see it and read it often…:-)
What a privilege to hear these words and those of all the commenters. Radical reliance really is impossible without “getting over ourselves”. Thanks, Evan. Last night I woke up at 3 am and was so excited about the impending birth of a grandchild! I decided to pray with Mrs. Eddy’s words on new birth and obstetrics, fuzzy minded as I seemed to be. Just got a call this morning that the baby is here, but had serious issues getting born last night. He is fine today.
I am at a point in my practice where I am discouraged about my own health, but I try to keep praying anyway. This healing to me is proof that it is NOT me doing the work, because fuzzy is a kind word for my treatments right now. But this one landed in my lap and reflexively I just prayed, and God answered. Love to all!
Oh how I needed this. Thank you Evan and thank you to all responders. I’m printing this one and laminating it as a permanent reminder.
My favorite thought has always been “I love to work with God, but best of all I love to see God work!”
I loved the photo and wondered why you chose it?
The light breaking through the dark clouds is symbolic of the light of love breaking through doubt, or whatever problem seems to be looming at the moment. As you “get over yourself,” look up, look higher, and beyond the clouds, beyond the doubt, you find God. And the light breaks through!
I believe I have a good understanding of Christen Science and when called upon, I inform the caller, that I am not a CSP, but if you want me to go forward with my thoughts and prayers, I believe I can help as God will do the healing. Often, the caller will tell me to go ahead. I have been told by the callers that their condition has improved and should they need further help, I refer them to a CSP. I feel that I am answering their call.
I am correcting the word in my sentence to Christian in stead of Christen!
Thank you so much Evan. I need this reminder exactly at the moment!
Evan, this really hit home for me.