At a lecture I gave recently, an attendee bounced up to speak with me afterward. He wanted to share a recent healing he witnessed, two actually.
He said that he was having a lot of pain in his shoulder. A friend called with the same problem and asked him to pray for him. In the spirit of brotherly love and wanting to help, he agreed to give the friend Christian Science treatment for the trouble.
After he gave his treatment his friend called and thanked him for a complete healing. After hanging up the phone, the man who did the praying realized his shoulder pain was all gone too!
There are many spiritual lessons in this experience. I’ve had many similar ones myself over the years. I might be struggling with a pain or trouble and the phone rings with someone asking for prayerful help on the other end. I agree to help, and in the act of helping forget all about my own belief. Healing happens for both of us.
People mistakenly think they have to heal all their own problems before they can help others. This is not true. In the act of helping others we help ourselves. It’s the law of love being reflected in love. The love we bear witness to for our neighbor, we bear witness to for ourselves, and both are blessed.
From experience, I’m a believer that the more we are engaged with helping others and the less we are thinking about ourselves the healthier and happier we are.
Self-concern, self-consciousness, self-worry, and their kin, are all mortal mind absorption with life in mortality, a sensation foreign to feeling close to God. It is a lonely place to be, often fraught with misery, and the way out is to get out by thinking broader, higher and wider, into the realm of Spirit where we find perfect God and perfect man, a reality that knows no trouble for those prayed for or for those who do the praying.
“The rich in spirit help the poor in one grand brotherhood, all having the same Principle, or Father; and blessed is that man who seeth his brother’s need and supplieth it, seeking his own in another’s good.” Mary Baker Eddy
Reminds me of the story of Job. Despite the fact that his friends had been unjustly accusing him, God (who first reproved them) asked Job to pray for them. “After Job prayed for his friends, the Lord gave him success again. The Lord gave Job twice as much as he owned before.” (Job 42:10). I think prayer for others helps us to have faith in God’s promises, which helps our own healing. Give unto others, and it shall be given unto you again, pressed down, shaken together and running over!
Great reminder about Job. Thanks for bringing that example up.
Good one, thanks.
yes, yes, yes…this is consistent with my experience as well. Whenever my prayers turn away from me, or me and mine…to me, and mine, and ALL…WOW, the views, the journey, and the experiences are amazing!! love to you and Kathy…k
Great post Evan, as measured by its uplifting message!
You went astray speculating with the Tiger Woods and Toyota post, misperceiving both their long-in-the-making fall from idolatrous grace as an overnight phenomenon.
In this post you relate, not speculate, direct experience.