Article August 9, 1975 Issue

Purifying Our Motives for Healing

JULIA IRENE FITZGERALD

A new student of Christian Science, who for many years had battled with a problem of financial lack, felt that this condition could be healed through gaining a better understanding of God and of her true, spiritual selfhood as His expression. So she began a systematic study of the Bible Lesson in the Christian Science Quarterly. As she studied the Bible, and Science and Health by Mrs. Eddy, she felt confident that her needs would be met.

After working and praying for many weeks, however, without any apparent result, she found her inspiration waning, and she was beginning to doubt. Her metaphysical efforts now seemed forced. At this point she prayed with all her heart, asking God to show her what she was doing wrong. Almost immediately she opened the Quarterly to the current Lesson-Sermon, which she had read several times before, and again read the Golden Text. It contained these words: "Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you."^{ John 6:27;} These words of Christ Jesus', which had not even impressed her before, stood out as a fresh and direct revelation, showing her exactly what was wrong with her healing efforts and what her aim should really be. Her thought had been so centered on material gain—on "the meat which perisheth"—that she had lost sight of her real need: a better understanding of Truth, God.

How grateful she was for this fresh view! Never before had she felt so close to God and so assured of His love. From then on her real desire was for a better understanding of God and His law. She saw that this understanding was, in reality, her only need. Consequently, she took an entirely different approach in her efforts to heal the belief of lack.

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