If you think it’s odd to feel that deep study, prayer, and spiritual growth in Christian Science are joyous—well, consider this: What’s not deeply joy-filled about beginning to understand and prove the limitless possibilities of overcoming the limitations and inharmonies of matter? What’s not inspiring about beginning step by step to prove that matter, with all its boasting claims of being real substance, isn’t what it appears to be? Mary Baker Eddy described a period of deep study after her discovery of Christian Science. She searched the Bible to find out more about what lay behind the significant healing she’d experienced at that time. She wrote, “The search was sweet, calm, and buoyant with hope, not selfish nor depressing” (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 109).
Christ Jesus, who spoke of joy numerous times, walked on the water, raised people from the dead, fed the multitudes, and then himself rose from the grave and later ascended. Out of his great love and assurance for those willing to follow him, he said, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do” (John 14:12).
While we certainly have a lot of growing to do spiritually before we are ready to actually walk on the ocean, we do want to gracefully grow into this kind of spiritual altitude. Isn’t that the point underlying Jesus’ teachings—to prove that God is All, and matter is not the reality of being?
