During a crowded noon hour in the business district of a large city, my attention was caught by the sound of a man's voice, shouting, "Jesus is my only friend." I finally caught sight of this man, who appeared to be a derelict. Although his message could certainly be heard, no one even glanced his way. It was as if he simply were not there. Yet there he was, shouting continuously, "Jesus is my only friend." Yes, I thought, Jesus probably is your only friend.

This incident arrested my thought. I recalled the incident in the Bible, when Jesus was asked, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" He called a little child to him, and then stated, "Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven." ^{Matt. 18:1, 3.} As I pondered this, I thought: Jesus was not commending simply a mortal child. He was recognizing the child of God, the pure representative of God, which he knew as the true selfhood of everyone—even of everyone present in that crowd. Basically, Jesus was correcting mortal thought, or the concept of man as material. Mortal thought must be converted before it can behold God's child, man in His pure likeness.

Then I asked what I was beholding in that shabbily dressed, shouting man. Wasn't I seeing man as a mortal—a mortal fallen from God's care and grace? I needed to take time to behold the babe, to bring to my thought the true nature of man as the expression of God. Christian Science teaches us how to do this. Precisely where the physical evidence is indicating a less than perfect man, human thinking can be enlightened to behold the Christ ideal, the spiritual image or immortal man in the eternal likeness of his Maker, God.

If we really want to practice Christianity as Jesus practiced it, we have to behold the babe, that pure ideal. Each of us has the opportunity to follow the steps of the wise men of old, and go out to seek the babe. We do this as we discern man's Christly nature. We may not immediately see the Christ manifested in our experience. But instead of being dismayed by a less than perfect, unacceptable, material view of man, we need to maintain the true view.

The Christ is made manifest, or humanly discerned, through the activity of Godliness—holiness—in our thoughts. The Christ in consciousness is the message from God—direct to us—which reveals man not as a mortal embedded in materiality but as the spiritual emanation of God. As we behold this ideal of God's perfect creation, we wake to the recognition that what we perceive with mortal eyes never truly represents God. Spiritual perception unfolds to us the true nature of man.

The activity of seeking the Christ ideal and rejecting the material picture of mortality, with its varying shades of error, is our Christly mission. This pursuit blesses us individually, and it blesses mankind universally. Actively pursuing the Christ, the true model of man in God's likeness, is prayer. In this way we steadfastly call forth and behold the man of God. To identify ourselves and all mankind with God and to accept only the immortal selfhood of man is to follow the direction of our Leader, Mrs. Eddy. She writes, "All must sooner or later plant themselves in Christ, the true idea of God." ^{Science and Health, p. 54.}

Response to the Christ in our thought results in spiritual abundance, expressed in health, harmonious relationships, and freedom from limitation. Lives lived in accord with Christ are lives that demonstrate God's ever-presence. As we recognize that the Christ is ever present, we begin to understand our true being. The Christ is an active force, unfolding to us the eternal nature of man as the infinite expression of God.

Even if we fail to see evidence of the Christ ideal, this ideal is not lost. God being ever-present, the Christ—the manifestation of God—is never lost, missing, or waiting to be born. It is here and now available for us to reflect and express. We respond to the Christ ideal as we convert our thinking from the material to the spiritual; then we behold in a greater degree the pure, immortal man.

The ability of Jesus to discern the essential, immortal nature of man resulted in his quick and effective healings. Jesus did not become embroiled in physical or human conditions; he saw beyond the mortal scene and understood the inseparability of God and His idea. Jesus' healings were accomplished through his total understanding of the Christ as his God-derived spiritual identity. Jesus never ignored the error or pretended it didn't exist. He challenged the falsity on the spot. He recognized the true status of man, as expressing the fullness of God's being. Christ Jesus called forth the true concept of man, spiritual and perfect. This resulted in healing. As we follow the Master, we too will behold the babe—pure selfhood—and experience healing.