Generally speaking, the word healing has a more appealing ring to it than humility does. The former suggests something sought after—release from anguish or cure of an ill. The latter implies sacrifice and service. I'm learning, though, to value humility as a state of strength that naturally leads to healing. Christ Jesus explained the basis for humility when he said, "The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise" (John 5:19). Repeatedly the Gospels record Jesus affirming God to be the true origin of every aspect of his being. Humility, such as Jesus demonstrated, is a full consent to man's oneness with God—a complete acceptance that God, Spirit, is the only source and power and that one's entire being originates in and expresses Him. Such humility opens thought to God's harmonious control over His idea, man, and the result is healing.

In Miscellaneous Writings, Mary Baker Eddy says, "Humility is lens and prism to the understanding of Mind-healing ..." (p. 356). Effective humble prayer is more than a plea for help or a reminder that God is always available. It is a sincere confirmation of God's allness and of man's absolute expression of Him. Such prayer acts as "lens and prism" to see Truth. It brings a clear and firm sense that God, good, is in control and washes away fear and self-will. The more willing we are to acknowledge God as the source of all true thought and action, and to accept His infinite good, the better able we are to feel the healing power of the Christ.

One time in graduate school, I gained a clearer understanding of the importance of humility to healing. During my first semester, I had been having difficulties with classes and was feeling very inadequate to the task. After completing the second of my three final exams, I became distraught because neither of the first two seemed to have gone very well. I decided to bury my sorrows by eating a big dinner at a nearby restaurant, but upon leaving, I found myself suddenly quite ill. When I arrived home, I immediately turned to God for His care, reminding myself that His laws of good were protecting me. In doing so, I recognized that I was the beloved child of God, Spirit, and was governed harmoniously by Him. Neither food nor any other material condition could disrupt this harmony or disturb my true, spiritual identity. The pain subsided, but I remained quite sick.

After two days I was still not better. The illness was bothersome, but I was more disturbed by what I felt had been a poor academic performance thus far, and by my present inability to study for my last exam. As I lay in bed, I turned humbly to God, yielding to the good that He is always giving each of us. I stopped praying for the outcome that I wanted and began acknowledging an infinite God with universal good for everyone. My desire for harmony expanded to include my relationships with classmates and professors; I knew God's plan for each of us could include only good. Suddenly, I wanted only to do God's will—to perceive man's oneness with the Divine and to deny any human will or mortal selfhood. The fact that God maintains His creation and that man's oneness with Him ensures good results was becoming clearer to me. All feelings of helplessness vanished, and I sat up in bed completely well! Humility had opened my thought to God's universal good governing all. As a result, I was immediately healed, and the semester finished just fine.

Christ Jesus' complete obedience to God brought him eternal glory and remains a perfect guide for us today. His struggles in the garden of Gethsemane set a precedent for humility when, facing the crucifixion, he said, "Not my will, but thine, be done" (Luke 22:42). The healing power of Jesus' humble prayer was proved in his resurrection and ascension. As we learn to pray with the same pure desire to do God's will, blessings and healing for us and others follow.