Of the many requirements which are necessary in order to be an active Christian Scientist, love, joy, and gratitude seem to stand out as qualities enabling us really to live our religion at all times. Expressed in this order, these qualities bring out our Christlikeness and prove man's inseparability from his Father-Mother, God. We first must love, for Love is the very substance of man's being. By loving we reflect Love, God. The conscious reflecting of Love brings with it a sense of joy, a deep awareness of man's at-one-ment with God. Love and joy culminate naturally in gratitude—gratitude for the good that is ours now and always. Good is unceasing, and gratitude opens our eyes to see its ever-presence.
We reflect Love by loving and by doing loving, thoughtful deeds. To see man as God created him obeys the commandment of our Master (Matt. 22:39), "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." First we must love our true selfhood, the Christ consciousness which reveals man. It is not difficult to love, for just as the rays of light effortlessly reflect the sun, so man reflects God, Love, at all times.
Man is God's reflection; then man must be loving, for a reflection cannot be unlike that which it reflects. We need a fervent desire to love, and the way will open for us to fulfill this desire. Mary Baker Eddy says in "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" (p.1), "Desire is prayer; and no loss can occur from trusting God with our desires, that they may be moulded and exalted before they take form in words and in deeds." To be always ready to serve our fellow men—to do whatever good comes our way to be done—is the important thing, the fulfilling of the law of Love.
