One of the things I have always loved about the Bible is the way it speaks to me so directly of my relation to God. In essence, it says to me—and to every reader—"Each of us is God's child, His image. Be who you are; be Godlike." Take this passage from the book of Micah, for example: "He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?" (6:8). It asks us each to fill our own shoes as God's child—humbly to walk each step of our life with God and His laws as our guide. That's how Christ Jesus lived. That's what made him a healer. Throughout his ministry he walked as the Son of God. He was a healer by reason of spiritual reflection.

No one else can walk in our shoes; no one else can fill your or my individual position as a son or daughter of God. Yet, to be our true, Godlike selves—when alone, with family, friends, schoolmates, or co-workers—we need that deep humility the Bible speaks of. We need to realize that God is our source and sustainer, and not we ourselves. And in those instances when we succeed in doing so, we shouldn't be surprised to find ourselves walking in the shoes of a healer—finding opportunity to reflect God's healing power, not only for our own benefit but for others' as well. We also shouldn't be surprised to find ourselves yearning to be more consistent in our reflection of God's goodness and purity—and thus, to be a better healer.

This verse in Isaiah, "... come ye, and let us walk in the light of the Lord" (2:5), could be alerting us not to try to upstage God—not to walk in our own light, so to speak, but to let every corner of our consciousness be filled with spiritual light from divine Truth, Life, and Love. It is this light, or intelligence, of divine Mind that heals sin and sickness. In this divine consciousness there is no darkness; all is light, and reflecting it, we "walk as children of light" (Eph. 5:8), in our Godlikeness. Mary Baker Eddy, the Discoverer of Christian Science, has rightly said, "That individual is the best healer who asserts himself the least, and thus becomes a transparency for the divine Mind, who is the only physician; the divine Mind is the scientific healer" (Miscellaneous Writings, p. 59).

Walking in a healer's shoes, then, means opening our hearts and minds in prayer to our heavenly Father and Mother, God, with a childlike willingness and readiness to be enlightened by Him. And this involves letting false beliefs and practices be expunged from our consciousness so that man's native purity, sinlessness, and wholeness shine forth clearly. The study of the laws of God in the Bible and in its key, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mrs. Eddy, is an enormous help to anyone yearning to do this. It was through this study that I first found myself beginning to walk in the shoes of a healer, and this study continues to guide me daily in my quest to be a better healer—a clearer transparency for the healing light of Truth and Love.

Healings started to come as soon as I took up the study of Christian Science. But I really didn't think of myself as a healer, even when my family and I experienced healing through the prayerful application of the laws of God. And I certainly didn't consider myself ready to become a public practitioner of Christian Science healing. Yet when the branch Church of Christ, Scientist, that I had become a member of no longer had an active public practitioner among its membership, I couldn't ignore the fact that the people in my community needed Christian Science healing to be readily available to them, and deserved it. The younger of our two children was just starting kindergarten. So I set aside the morning hours when he was in school as my office hours, studied and prayed, and soon began to receive calls from people wanting to rely on God for healing through prayer.

What I've found throughout my years in the public practice of Christian Science is that the laws of God never vary; they consistently bring healing when we conform to them. So, really, walking in a healer's shoes means striving faithfully to conform day by day to the laws of God, and letting our spiritual nature as His child become more and more apparent to us and to others. Then our lives increasingly conform to His harmony, joy, and buoyancy. This makes the practice of Christian Science healing and our lives fit naturally, blessing ourselves, our families, and those who call on us for healing. It's simply a matter of being who we are—the child, or reflection, of God.

Have you tried walking in a healer's shoes—reflecting the healing power of God—by humbly conforming to who you are, God's child? There is nothing in the world more satisfying.

Barbara M. Vining

II JOHN

And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it.

II John 1:6