Healing is an Inside Job

I recently watched a reel in which Native American spirituality is contrasted with conventional Christianity. The speaker showed how modern Christianity begets dependence on others, such as a Messiah and people of the cloth, while Native spirituality teaches taking responsibility for yourself, the earth, and relationships with those around you. Conventional Christianity says humans are inherently flawed and unable to rescue ourselves, so need a savior, while Native spirituality says humans are born whole into a world that is sacred. Conventional Christianity says “wait for heaven” while Native spirituality says “we bring heaven to earth by restoring balance and beauty.” 

A serene meditation space designed for relaxation and reflection.

The truth is, the Bible’s true message is in alignment with Native spirituality, not modern Christianity. A discerning reader of scripture will see it’s not propaganda to support the unquestioning submission to authority, but for humans to image God by bringing heaven to earth, through acts of kindness and love. This is the human vocation. 

Unfortunately, conventional Christianity is not the only false philosophy in this regard. 

People who seek out psychics and Tarot card readers adhere to the same paradigm – outsourcing wisdom to others, depending upon others to help us. Going to medical practitioners, both Western and Eastern, is also a type of outsourcing healing to experts, instead of looking within to heal ourselves. I’m not saying medicine has no value, but when you are expecting a doctor to understand what’s happening within your body and they only have 5 minutes, it’s a set-up for failure. How can anyone correctly diagnose us and help us help ourselves if they don’t take the time to listen and understand? 

Even many therapists play into this, dispensing advice or teaching skills instead of getting to know clients, helping them know themselves and solve their own issues. 

As someone who once attended church, I find it ironic that for an institution that promotes love of neighbor, church attendees spend almost no time looking at each other. Liturgy entails filing into a seat, then spending the entire service looking at the people on the pulpit. Aside from the 5-minutes devoted to greeting the person next to you, you are just as lonely leaving as you were upon arrival. How can we learn to love our neighbor when we don’t even know her? And how can we learn to get to know ourselves when sermons are one-size-fits all, made to apply broadly to everyone in attendance? What heals and builds community is not a lecture, but a conversation. 

The truth is, humans are ultimately designed to heal ourselves, and no one can do it for us. A true healer will help us listen to our body to understand what it’s attempting to communicate. A good therapist will be a mirror, helping us have insight into ourselves and our situation. 

Recently, my family went to rural Mexico with a non-profit we support to see their work. What was most impressive was how the staff empower the people they work with to see their own contribution to their situation. That’s not to say their poverty isn’t caused by outside economic factors and oppression, because it is, but that’s not all. 

A staff named Noah told us how when he first visits poor communities, some people view themselves as victims, and feel hopeless. They’ll say, “We can’t improve our situation, because we’re too poor and our soil is too depleted.” Noah responds with, “It’s true your land isn’t healthy, but that’s due to the practices you and your ancestors have used. Now it’s time to learn new practices.” People listen, and they reclaim their dignity as they heal their own land and lift themselves out of poverty. 

In college in the early 90’s, I had a friend named Tim who worked in what was known back then as the “computer lab.” He didn’t know much about computers, but apparently, he didn’t need to. Tim told me he found that what most helped people was to ask, “What did you do to get where you are now?” He told me when he asked this they’d respond with, “Oh yeah!” Then they’d figure it out all on their own. 

No one rescues anyone else, but a true healer helps us rescue ourselves. Any philosophy that teaches otherwise, just isn’t true. 

The band Switchfoot has a song called “The World You Want” whose lyrics embody this: 

Is this the world you want?

You're making it

Every day you're alive

You change the world

You change the world

You change the world

Every day you're alive

You change the world

Each one of us is more powerful than we know. We change the world, and we alone have the power to heal it, and heal ourselves.