Mary Baker Eddy writes in "The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany" (p. 290), "Divine Love is never so near as when all earthly joys seem most afar." These comforting words from our beloved Leader remind us that in times of tribulation, when the burden is heavy or the day dark, divine Love with its supporting power is nearer and more vital than ever before.
Often we draw nearer to God in times of trouble than in moments of earthly joy or worldly complacency. Earthly joys come and go, worldly ambitions rise and fall, but once the spiritual foundation of life in Christ is understood, then the calm currents of spiritual being flow into consciousness unobstructed by the debris of materiality. These purifying, invigorating currents of Truth restore health and give us the spiritual concept of life, which is expressed in joy, power, movement, and perfect circulation.
Our trust in divine Love deepens as we learn to depend wholly on God and are willing to strike away the props and makeshifts on which the material sense of life is obviously founded. There is no foundation to life except that of God and His Christ, the manifestation of God. We can and should feel true strength and security only when we are willing to rely wholly on Spirit as the source of health and affluence. Constant reliance on divine Life, Truth, and Love increases our confidence and strength. The tests of our faith are salubrious, not afflictive. The discovery that matter is insubstantial forces us to discard our trust in it and turns us unreservedly to Spirit.
