I thought I was doing just that, putting God at the top of my list. Each morning I drew myself upright, plumped my pillows, and devoted an hour to reading the Bible and Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, by Mary Baker Eddy. I also went through my prayers for the day. That done, I felt well fortified to go forth with my ever-expanding list of chores to do. 

One morning, with a little stretch of the imagination, I envisioned Christ Jesus making a list of what he expected to accomplish each day. It might have read something like this: heal the lepers; raise the dead; cure the palsied man; feed the multitudes; forgive the sinners. It was an impressive list with new opportunities to comfort and heal added to it throughout his three-year ministry. 

As I thought about this, I realized that Jesus wasn’t making space for those healings amid other duties calling for his attention. He was acting under the impulsion of his divinely appointed mission.

I consider myself a follower of Jesus’ teachings, but was I truly following what he would have expected me to do? These words from Science and Health provided me with a road map for being a more dedicated follower of the master Christian: “What we most need is the prayer of fervent desire for growth in grace, expressed in patience, meekness, love, and good deeds” (p. 4). 

Jesus was acting under the impulsion of his divinely appointed mission.

Patience is the first of the qualities called for. I realized I could begin by being more patient with unwelcome solicitation phone calls. Rather than a quick brush-off, I could respond courteously, asking the caller to respect my desire not to participate in what was being offered. 

Meekness comes next. “Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5). In my daily interaction with others, I could let meekness characterize my responses, smiling at the impatient driver as he glares at me, or giving more thoughtful attention to friends’ concerns.

The third quality is love—a good yardstick to measure what prompts us to speak and act. Love was the overriding quality in our Master’s dealings with others. Ultimate love for his fellow man must have motivated even his occasional strong rebukes, uttered with authority and aimed at awakening thought. I knew I could benefit from Jesus’ example, consciously expanding in my daily encounters a more loving and understanding approach.

And finally, good deeds, resulting from our desire to make a difference for the better in our relationship with others, our environment, and our community. I often take a walk, always with a plastic bag and pair of tongs in hand to pick up litter along the way. Once a driver paused and thanked me for helping to keep our community free from litter. Certainly a modest example, but when expanded by seeing those unthinkingly contributing to the litter as capable of responding from their authentic God-bestowed nature, it becomes a prayer worth praying. 

I will continue with my reading and praying first thing in the morning, willingly extending the time I give to it. Drawing closer to God, we find boundless opportunities to express the many healing qualities that make up who we are as His children. Every effort to align ourselves with the nature of God, as expressed so effectively by Jesus, supports our desire to be a genuine follower of Christ.

Attempting to maintain the high standard Jesus set may seem like reaching for the stars, but God will guide us as we meekly strive to honor Jesus’ mission in the smallest details of our lives by putting his example at the top of our list. Accepting Jesus as our model, draws us closer to a deepening appreciation of his life mission and how we can play a role in forwarding it in our own lives.