When I went into the public practice of Christian Science healing, a fellow Christian Science practitioner told me, “If it’s not a joy, it isn’t Christian Science.” Certainly, in our prayer and treatment of others, it is a joy to recognize the power of God, divine Life, Truth, and Love, and to understand the infinite presence of God’s spiritual qualities. Such spiritual perception quickens us, brings healing, and fills us with gratitude.
But when we’re feeling mired in sickness or some troubling condition, the joyful reality of God’s goodness may seem distant or even unobtainable. It may seem easier simply to go with the flow of things and accept the awful condition than it would be to engage in prayer that would turn thought into new channels, put a stop to the habitual pattern of rumination about the problem, and lift thought out of negativity and materialism.
Though such a spiritual transformation of thought brings hoped-for help and healing, we may think this is beyond our present ability. As a friend put it, this could be a little like having a kitchen sink full of dirty dishes. “The more you think about all the work to be done,” he said, “the less you’re inclined to do it.”
