We're Bombarded with stories involving all types of "victims"—of accident, crime, discrimination, even of deadly disease. Sometimes this term is also used to describe a troubled family situation. But is that the real story about life, the true depiction of any of us?

At one time, I might have thought so. But I have learned to turn to a more accurate and reliable source to understand life, and what I have gained has given me a new outlook. The Bible teaches something very different about who we actually are.

The Scriptures identify God's man as His precious, beloved child, made in His image and likeness. He is permanently bound to God, divine Love. And this Love, which is all-embracing and all-powerful, governs and controls him. Therefore none of us is ever truly subject to any sort of evil power or negative influence. This spiritual nature of man is the reality of who you and I are. Victimhood is not any real part of your or my being.

The Bible's companion book, Science and Health, explains that another term for God is Mind. This Mind, being All, is the source of intelligence. Because each of us is God's offspring, all that we have or are comes from God, including the ability to utilize and demonstrate Mind's control and power in any situation, at any time. What all this adds up to is that God's child never was and never will be a victim.

Now, you may be thinking, that sounds great, but how does this help me when suffering seems so prevalent? Consider this statement from Mary Baker Eddy's book Pulpit and Press: "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. If you maintain this position, who or what can cause you to sin or suffer?" (p. 3)

No matter what circumstance or situation we are faced with, we can always choose how we are going to think about it. And this is where our dominion rests. It is in our ability "to think and act rightly," aligning our thoughts and subsequent actions with the spiritual facts. This sovereign, supreme power can never be taken from us. It is our divine right. But we have to exercise it. It must be applied in human lives in order to be effective.

When confronted by a troubling situation, we can take a deep, honest look within to learn what we are accepting as true. Are we accepting the world's view, which would say, "Here's an innocent victim who, of course, has a right to be angry, hurt, upset, injured"? Or are we accepting the spiritual view that each individual is actually the innocent child of God, enveloped in His loving arms, never out of His care, free from suffering of any sort, possessing sovereign power and dominion?

"Your decisions will master you, whichever direction they take," says Science and Health (p. 392). In actuality, then, the term victim doesn't refer to a person as much as it does to a state of mind. And this is what we have to watch. If we want to experience more control and bring greater harmony, peace, health, and contentment into our lives, then we need to make our decisions thoughtfully.

We also need to be alert to another influence that may be at work. Specifically, we should be watchful about the assumed benefits, sometimes called "secondary gains," from this state of supposed victimization. The little extra attention or pampering one receives may seem harmless enough. Yet there are also instances where people behave in ways that are clearly wrong and attempt to justify their actions because they feel victimized. It is never in our best interest to surrender our dominion and innocence and act in ways that are contrary to our pure, spiritual nature. While this way of behaving may seem to provide temporary benefits, it only holds us in bondage to a false, material concept of man. It cannot give any permanent, lasting satisfaction or happiness. Nor does it heal. Our innate spiritual innocence is a power that protects and shelters us. It is only a misconception of what true innocence is that would make us vulnerable to injury or suffering.

Exercising my dominion and gaining a clearer understanding of my genuine innocence as God's child healed me of an injury I experienced after taking a fall. While doing some cleaning, in order to take the curtains down from over the sink, I needed to climb up on the kitchen counter. As I jumped off the counter, holding the curtains and rod, I misjudged the distance to the floor and fell hard, hitting the side of the refrigerator with my back and side. The pain was intense. As I lay on the floor, I immediately began to pray, affirming God's presence and control at that very moment, and the impossibility that, as His child, I could ever be hurt.

I also refused to condemn myself for doing something that didn't seem so smart. I knew that since Love fills all space, I was always safe, embraced in Love's care. After a while I was able to get up and start moving about. However, the pain continued for days, interfering with my ability to move around freely. I continued praying, knowing I possessed "sovereign power to think and act rightly," certain of my God-endowed dominion, and never accepting the idea that I was the victim of an accident.

One day as I was praying, I came to a definition of the word innocence I had written down earlier. It said "freedom from any quality that can injure." Two words from this definition stood out to me, freedom and injure. I immediately recognized that because of my God-derived, spiritual innocence I was free from injury! As I thought more deeply about this idea, a strong feeling of peacefulness and joy came over me. I knew I was healed. Very shortly after that, the pain completely disappeared and I resumed all my usual activities.

This spiritual dominion can help you, just as it did me. Remember, you never have to be a victim!