One of the things I love most about Christian Science is the freedom it gives us to express joy.
Last Christmas, I learned to think about joy and freedom from a new perspective. Instead of thinking of joy as an outcome of some good thing that happened to me, I realized that it was a gift from God and therefore was spiritual and infinite, and a quality I already included. Ecclesiastes 2:26 says, “God giveth to a man that is good in his sight wisdom, and knowledge, and joy.” I also realized the peace and freedom that come from magnifying the message of the Christ, the truth of God, in my thoughts. Jesus, who fully exemplified the Christ, said this about his teachings: “These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full” (John 15:11).
Our family had decided to go on a ski vacation—something we’d wanted to do together for many years. I love to ski. However, the last time I had gone skiing was many years before this, at a time when I was more regularly active. I’d now been spending most of my time working in front of a computer and little time doing any type of sports. I felt silly preparing to go skiing when I sometimes ran out of breath just carrying a basket of laundry up from the basement. Furthermore, I had gained a lot of weight and couldn’t even fit into my ski suit.
