Everyone desires to attain true satisfaction; and did not the Psalmist point the way when he said, "I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness"? The progressive unfoldment of spiritual understanding brings increasing satisfaction, because it reveals the true spiritual selfhood, which cannot know dissatisfaction. Discord and suffering have no abiding place in Truth, and seem to exist only to so-called mortal consciousness or a false sense of self; and when this is laid off by the recognition of the real man, the only place where error could claim to exist has been destroyed. Harmony is positive. It is spiritual, and constantly pervades the realm of the real. Hence, as one becomes conscious of his spiritual selfhood, he partakes of this harmony. It is inescapable. True spirituality gives one a sense of God-given power, freedom, and buoyancy, which lightens every burden, makes labor increasingly joyous and its results ever more satisfying.
When striving to gain freedom from some distressing condition into which misguided sense has engulfed him, the student may delay his healing by clinging to something which previously had seemed to give satisfaction. He is thus holding to the erroneous conditions, or false thinking, which his effort to reflect divine Love is forcing him to drop. With thought temporarily confused, he may be unaware that he has outgrown certain positions, and is beyond the point of enjoying them were they again his. Instead of clinging to that which has been instrumental in causing the discord he is trying to heal, he should rejoice to see it fall away. On page 324 of "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" Mary Baker Eddy writes, "Gladness to leave the false landmarks and joy to see them disappear,—this disposition helps to precipitate the ultimate harmony." Our attitude, then, should be more than one of willingness. It should be one of gladness. How important to rejoice at the very first glimpse of the unreality of false landmarks!
All that is based on a material sense of life, whatever may result in pain or sorrow, including those conditions or relationships which mortals consider ideal, is unreal. Again, our Leader tells us (ibid., p. 452), "When outgrowing the old, you should not fear to put on the new." The individual who is earnestly endeavoring to free himself from the throes of some discordant problem is likely to be obedient to this injunction; but can that always be said of the one for whom life is proceeding smoothly? Students of Christian Science learn that in order to progress rapidly they must, in storm or sunshine, eagerly accept spiritual ideas as they unfold, gladly dropping even the most cherished human beliefs, and alertly rejecting them should they attempt to return. Since we can lose nothing real, let us lose the false as rapidly as possible.
