Have you ever waited for some type of material event to happen before you could feel joy? Perhaps waiting for another person to walk into your life that you could form a close relationship with; a new job opportunity; more income; a family member changing their mind about an issue that is important to you?
If so, wait no more! True joy is spiritual. It’s present to experience fully and abundantly no matter what the human mind is hoping will happen over time.
Mary Baker Eddy writes, “Happiness is spiritual, born of Truth and Love” (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 57).
Happiness is a state of Mind. It is not conditional upon a material event happening first. It is ours to experience independent of a material event.
Happiness is spiritual mindedness, gratitude, selflessness, seeing the good all around to be seen, love in action. These are all possible whether another person cooperates with our will, whether more money flows in, or another person holds our hand.
Happiness is a divine right. A gift from God to every child of God.
Untether joy from material events and people and seek the joys of Spirit. Wait no more.
Wonderful! Thank you, Evan
So important to remember the inspired message in this SpiritView, Evan. Knowing that joy and satisfaction are spiritual provides dominion and comfort that isn’t available outside spiritual thinking.
The happy smiles and contentment of the photo and joyous message is
precious. Thank you so much Evan. I was led to Hymn # 598 this morning:
“Where you’re going, Love will lead you. Where you’re walking, Love will guide.
If you’re hungry, Love will feed you. Love is always at your side.
When you’re sleeping, Love will guard you. When you waken, comfort give.
Always faithful, Love surrounds you, For by Love alone we live.
Let not want or lack confine you, Love is ever your supply.
God’s great good shall now define you, As on Love your hopes rely.
Though temptation may assail you, Love will save you lest you stray.
Love’s protection never fails you – God is Love and guards your way.”
Thank you Carol, wonderful hymn. I went on christianscience.com (Hymns 500-601) to enjoy and learn the melody that goes along with this.
Thank you, Rose. I had also seen Hymn # 517 when I was flipping
through. That also is an upbeat, joyful hymn:
“Joyfully we’re singing of our dear God’s grace
Living every day within Love’s warm embrace …
Everything that happens to us day by day,
Christ will be the beacon that will light our way.
Through distress and peril, God is faithful still,
Why should we be fearful if we trust God’s will? …”
In the world today, there seem to be so many challenges,
but thoughts like these help to hold our spirits high. I am
so grateful for CS and to be able to share here.
Btw, where exactly on the CS website are the hymns? I can’t
seem to find them there. Thanks.
Carol you can go to christianscience.com and click on the Search function at top right side (looks like a magnifying glass) and type in the word ‘Hymnal’. you will then see the results listed by the hymn numbers. Or just do a regular google search online, for example, ‘Christian Science hymn 598’ and that will work too.
Thank you, Rose. I actually never noticed that feature
on the site before, so didn’t realize it had a search
function. Nice to know.
Thanks so much dear Evan for the reminder of one of my favorite poems. I keep it on my desk. It’s from the November 14, 1977 Christian Science Sentinel:
My Joy
I cannot be robbed
I cannot be cheated
My joy can never be
obscured
diminished
depleted.
The only joy I can know
is a stream of pure gladness,
an unceasing flow-
through wastelands of willfulness
through bereavement’s blight
to growing
to knowing spiritual delight,
In triumph
In trial
Midst laughing or weeping,
My joy is God’s gift
and safe in His keeping.
Doris Lubin
Perfect message ! Thank you Evan! My mother would sing a hymn and the chorus is:
I’ve got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart
Where?
Down in my heart!
Where?
Down in my heart!
I’ve got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart
Down in my heart to stay!
And my mother still keeps that joy joy joy down in her heart everyday at 95 years!
Thanks for sharing about your mother and her everlasting joy.. I live on a farm that I share with others.. One precious women lived her for over twenty years.. late in her 90’s she still lived that “joy down in her heart.”
Not only was she always happy she changed the lives of other because of that joy..
I love it! What good examples!
Thanks.
Thanks Sheree, so lovely to hear about your wonderful Mom, blessings to her and to you. Joy is down deep in all our hearts, nurtured and protected by God.
Love that you say the joy is protected by God!
Excellent…thank you all. I love the poem and sang the hymns and can still sing: Joy…down in my heart…thank you again.
You’re welcome and Thank you so much! I like what you say that the joy is protected by God!
Thank you. The hymn I go to is hymn 58., Father we thy loving children lift our hearts with joy today. Knowing well that thou will keep us ever in thy blessed way.
I go to that too almost every day. Love it!
Thank you Evan. I was ruminating yesterday about having to wait for something to improve before it could meet a need. Suddenly, in the midst of that rumination came a counter-thought…”all the good there is, is going on right now!”. It immediately broke the mesmerism of what I seemed to be humanly seeing and hearing and gave me a higher spiritual perspective. I was very grateful. 🙂
“Time is not a factor in your life – READING LIST” by Dave Hohle, CSB
https://www.davehohle.com/wp-content/uploads/David-Hohle-Reading-List-for-Time-is-Not-a-Factor-Feb-2019.pdf
(Evan is quoted on page 11 of this list.)
What a wonderful list. Thank you J.
This is a great reading list, J , Thank you so much for sharing it!
Wow… what an incredible reference and study list. Thank you, J.
Thank you Evan. Happiness is a divine right!
Delightful poem and inspiration and hymns – Thank you!
Sometimes our more material, mortal, so-called long awaited joys disappoint us.
Sometimes we “settle” for things we thought we wanted. Sometimes it is the simple
things anticipated that mean the most – like a “snow day” when a child (or even as a
teacher. LOL) … meaning a day off from school, to snuggle in the comfort of freedom.
It is really spiritual joy that is everlasting, always there, no matter where we are,
what the circumstances, what we are doing, when mortal joys sometimes seem
fleeting or nonexistent.
I remember the joy and anticipation of a adopting a special dog, only to find out right
before, that she, (after being in the shelter for almost a year) had just been adopted.
I was very happy for her, but very disappointed for me. It turned out that she was
brought back, because she chased their cat and because of a former injury, could not
do their stairs. When I adopted her – joyfully – she was the sweetest dog, got along
wonderfully with my cat and other dog, at the time, and eventually through prayer,
was able to do steps.
Our spiritual joy is unconditional – always present, there to turn to, never disappointing,
never dependent upon mortal conditions and always abundant and wonderful.
Sometimes the challenging part is tuning in to it.. looking beyond the mortal viewpoint
into the spiritual.
What a lovely example of Joy being fulfilled. Love your posts Angel.
So sweet of you to say, Jane… Thank you so much! : )
Dearest Evan,
This will be my inspired dictum for the day, “Untether joy from material events and people and seek the joys of Spirit. Wait no more.” Thank you!
So grateful for all these comments, I seem to be in a very low point in my life, and they have lifted me up thoughts of joy, and love and gratitude
If we attach our happiness to outer material circumstances, our seeming happiness will come and go, wax and wane, because mortal mind is always changing, unstable, uncertain, limited. I’ve heard this expression, ‘the Bliss of Being.’ It means our natural state of being is actually bliss, because that’s how God made us, and it’s always there, waiting for us to recognize it.
As Mrs. Eddy said, “Science knows no lapse from nor return to harmony, but holds the divine order or spiritual law….to have remained unchanged in its eternal history.” (S&H p. 471)
I found this Sentinel article from 1946, “No Lapse from Harmony.”
https://sentinel.christianscience.com/shared/view/5m1rrhf5jw
Thank you all for great shares and Love to everyone.
Wonderful article and comments Rose, thank you.
Glad they were helpful J, and many thanks to you for your efforts to give us references to things that support Evan’s posts. All the best to you.
Thank you for sharing❣️
Thank you, Evan.
Thank you very much, dear Evan! That metaphysics is so wonderfully simple to understand and to do! Happyness is spiritual mindedness, gratitude, selflessness, seeing the good all around, Love in action – O so good!
This evening I had an experience, from which I learned and practised “spiritual mindedness”. In the Evening the whole electricity in my home and in the whole neighborhood was shut down for about five hours. Certainly I would have watched TV. Instead as all electricity was out and it was dark meanwhile outside I was happy I found candles and so I had light to read the whole time in our loved textbook Science and Health by Mary Baker Eddy. I gave thanks to God that He compelled me not to watch TV but practice spiritual mindedness and read in SH until it was nearly bedtime, and then the light and all electricity was intact again. I am grateful for God’s loving guidance.
Wow and here is so much Love expressed with wonderful comments, hymns and poems, I love a lot! Thank you all very much for this healing and comforting SpiritView Forum!
So glad your power returned, dear Uta! It can be a bit challenging without, but
God lit your way with a loving blessing of Spirit dispelling the darkness and
bringing gratitude to light. Being without power makes us appreciate it that much
more when it returns. Sometimes we take things for granted and need that little
nudge to make us more grateful for things that make our lives better.
Thanks dear Carol!
You are quite right normally, however in this situation with candles on the table no Telefon could go, no TV sound; so I felt very peaceful. I could not cook and so I just made a slice of bread and butter and something else and a nice juice. And so with the undisturbed reading I head a very peaceful Evening. That did me good!
Once again thank you! Right now I’m learning to continue living almost with out family since I feel pushed out because I don’t drink, or have a partner. But I love my animals and nature as I hear birds outside talking!
My nephew is going through a physical challenge and I have been praying for him and his family even though his wife has been the one pushing me away.
So life changes and I know, God is leading me and I am putting my trust in Him