Nurturing the healer in us all

Perhaps at one time or another you have thought, “I am not a healer.” But evidence abounds of God’s healing qualities reflected in every one of us. Have you ever caressed a nervous pet, kissed a child before dropping him at school, or helped out a neighbor? Even the smallest expression of gentleness and love can redeem a moment from fear and worry. 

Christ Jesus discerned the healer tendencies in those around him, and he helped us know how to recognize and value the healer in ourselves and in others. The opening passages of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, known as the Beatitudes, point to qualities that equip us to be healers—qualities such as receptivity, sacrifice, humility, devotion, lovingkindness, pure goodness, peacemaking, reconciliation, and persistence in adversity. Identifying in ourselves and others these Christlike qualities that forward healing enables us to begin to value and put them into practice.

One way of nurturing the healer in us is to be alert to ungodlike traits that would interfere with our being ready and willing to help when needed—any negative thought or behavior that would lead us away from expressing true goodness and unselfed love. Jesus called such traits sin, and his teachings encourage us to be aware of the sin that would choke out opportunities God gives us to help and heal. In fact, Jesus’ teachings require us to challenge human tendencies toward anger, selfishness, sensuality, dishonesty, fear, greed, hatred, and frustration. He raised the bar from accepting and succumbing to these traits, or sin, as normal and unavoidable to instead challenging and redeeming each temptation as a healing moment.