The Receptive Thought

In reading the Christian Science Bible Lesson today, I have been pondering the bible story about the woman who comes to Jesus to heal her daughter. Jesus tells her, “It is not meet to take the children’s bread and cast it to dogs”. (Matt. 15:26) The women could of reacted when Jesus told her she was a dog. The Jews and the Canaanites had a history of not liking each other. The Jews thought of the Canaanites as dogs because they considered them heathens. However, the women believed Jesus could heal her daughter and replied “Truth, Lord yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table”. (Matt. 15:26) She was persistent and wanted to work with Jesus no matter if her stature was accepted in his community or not. Jesus saw her receptivity and his heart went out to her. He healed her daughter. He realized that he was not there just to heal the children of Israel but to anyone who honestly came to him for healing.

From this story I have been pondering, am I receptive to those coming to me for healing. Who is the sincere seeker for Truth? How much are we willing to work to receive our healing? Here is a small list for the receptive thought of patient and the practitioner

The Christian Science Practitioner

1. Are we willing to work for patients who know nothing about Christian Science?
2. Should we worry if the patient will be paying us?
3. Should we care if the patient is going down a list of practitioners each day for healing?
4. Do we care if the patient likes us as individuals?
5. Are we willing to help the sinner with his disease?
6. Should we expect our patient to study the Bible and Science and Health?

The Patient

1. Are you just seeking to have your body healed?
2. Are you willing to pay for your healing?
3. Is healing your main objective or is it spiritual growth?
4. Are you willing to work out your own salvation by changing long beliefs about yourself or others?
5. Do you give up on a practitioner after one treatment?
6. Are you willing to dig deep into your Bible and Science and Health? For example are you willing to read 50 pages of Science and Health per day?
7. Are you willing to stop sinning?
8. Are you willing to fight it out through Christian Science even if there are not results within a short period of time?
9. Are you looking for God to heal you or the practitioner?