One of the fundamental points in Christian Science is that each one of us has spiritual selfhood. This nature is God's own reflection, His expression, and so includes such God-given qualities as love, goodness, intelligence, truthfulness, and integrity. Christian Science explains that we can learn to know better our true, God-given nature through spiritualization of thought.

Because God is the source of our real being, to truly know ourselves we must begin with God. A desire to know God may start with the acknowledgment that He is knowable. As we pray to really know God, we find we begin to know ourselves as children of a knowable, heavenly Father. And conversely, as we recognize the spiritual qualities we have, we are becoming acquainted with God, their source.

Now, what does Christian Science teach about God? It teaches that God is Soul, Mind, Spirit, Life, Truth, Love, and Principle. Mrs. Eddy found these names, or synonyms, for God used or implied in the Bible. Since man is made in God's image, he must express these synonyms for God. Thus God's man expresses the peace of Soul, the intelligence of Mind, the strength of Spirit, the vitality of Life, the integrity of Truth, the mothering of Love, the control of Principle.

The desire to bring out the best in ourselves is rewarded as we pray to understand God as our creator, who has given us spiritual selfhood, made in His likeness, as the Bible tells us. This nature must be good because God certainly is good. God could not make anything unlike Himself. The real selfhood of man, being good and the likeness of all-good God, can't have anything bad. Accepting this fact as true about our God-created, God-maintained, spiritual selfhood takes us a giant step forward toward getting to know ourselves better as God's spiritual expression and seeing that this is the only real selfhood we have. Moreover, we cannot lose this good nature, or identity. It is preserved and protected by our Maker, who knows man not as a physical, limited person but only as His spiritual reflection, or expression.

When we feel resentful, cynical, downcast—in fact, anything but good—it may be hard to believe that our real selfhood is spiritual, loving, and good. At such times we may let ourselves believe that man is basically evil. This belief is wrong, and we need to assure ourselves that such thinking doesn't come from God, the true source of our intelligence. By acknowledging God as the all-good, all-knowing Mind, we are able to see what is true of ourselves and everything else. In this way we can rid ourselves of evil thoughts and reflect more of our true nature as God's idea, the reflection of divine intelligence.

Some time ago I had proof of divine intelligence acting in my behalf. This proof supported the fact that we don't need to put up with worry or anxiety as part of our true selfhood. In my case, worry led to overplanning when I needed to move from where I was living. The temptation was to be overconcerned about where and how I would find a suitable place to live.

To offset anxiety, I started to outline humanly where I wanted to live and to plan what specific steps to take in my search. I soon found myself in a complete mental muddle. At that point I reminded myself that the first specific step was to turn to God as all-intelligent Mind and listen for His guidance. This listening, coupled with patience, confidence, and steadfastness in the truths I was affirming, was the prayer I lived daily. I stopped worrying, and soon the answer came clearly without any human effort on my part. At the right time I found a home much more desirable than what I had outlined for myself. I did not search for it. It was brought to my attention through praying to be God-directed. This experience helped me to know God better.

When we feel disturbed about character flaws, it helps to remember that even Christ Jesus had testing experiences. In the Bible (see Matt. 4:1–11) we read that he successfully resisted temptations to believe that evil could give him anything good or have any power over him. Because Jesus was so thoroughly acquainted with God, he detected and rejected devilish suggestions to act unchristlike. And then he was strengthened and comforted by angel messages straight from God. These thoughts from God come to us too, because the Christ, or spiritual sonship, that Jesus demonstrated is also present in us, voicing spiritual good, the message of hope and salvation.

Like Jesus, we can be alert to knowing ourselves only as God knows us, as perfect and complete, as inseparable from the Father and His entirely satisfying provision for us. Let's refuse to feel limited and bogged down by useless self-condemnation. Rather, let's repent of wrong thinking and know that God, divine Love, is supporting our every effort to listen for His purpose for us and to do His will. Let's wholeheartedly accept what Mrs. Eddy wrote: "Know, then, that you possess sovereign power to think and act rightly, and that nothing can dispossess you of this heritage and trespass on Love." ^{Pulpit and Press, p. 3.}

With that encouraging statement in mind, we can refuse to accept that we are subject to all kinds of fears and limitations. We can gratefully claim our God-provided heritage of intelligence, spirituality, and belovedness as proof of our spiritual selfhood. This proof is visible every time we rely on God to meet a need, choose honesty over deception, are charitable toward others, and cling to the fact our divine heritage.

How much better we come to know ourselves as we get to know God! Getting acquainted with God, who loves us and who has given us the ability to think and act in accord with our true being, we see who we really are. We see the real selfhood of each of us, which includes goodness, lovableness, joy, gratitude, intelligence, confidence, and absolute freedom from fear.