Something to be grateful for

One of the liberating truths Christian Science has helped me understand over the years is that happiness attached to Spirit is endless. Happiness attached to things, status and position is fleeting.

I remember in my early days of youth, that when my goal was to earn money, I was never satisfied. I always needed more. Genuine happiness was always just out of reach or not quite yet attainable.

Once I learned that “Happiness is spiritual, born of Truth and Love,” as Mary Baker Eddy wrote, I dropped looking to money and things for joy, and found it in Spirit. I found a deep abiding peace within that I’d never known before. And it has stuck with me.

In today’s economy, which is tough for many, millions of people are severing connections with things, position and status, either by choice or not. Jobs have been lost, income reduced, homes foreclosed, job searches lengthened. It’s mortal mind fodder for getting down on life, feeling depressed, hopeless, and even sorry for self. And it needs to be guarded against.

Any downward spiral in morale can be checked by remembering what the most important things in life are and being grateful for them. The things that matter most are not the temporal items that can be taken from us. They are the spiritual things built into us.

God made us joyous beings. God made us happy beings. God made us complete beings, independent of cash in hand, job status, or societal standing.

When I traveled to South Africa about 8 years ago, I was struck by the severe poverty endured by millions. Huge shanty towns, with homes made of cardboard, tin roof, and dirt floor housed thousands and thousands of residents. Some people looked sad, to be sure, but there were also signs of great joy and happiness. Children, not weighed down by worry and fear, played with delight through the alleyways. Woman greeted us with big smiles and happy welcomes at stops we made. Men carried themselves with dignity and determination to make something of themselves. Where it might seem unimaginable to find signs of hope and joy, they were easy to spot.

There is a spiritual dignity in all of us that is greater than any trial we face. We are spiritual beings endowed with worth, value and importance that far transcends any material status quo.

We are not the money we make, the position we claim or the reputation we garner. We are more. We are valuable beyond any economic measurement, loved beyond any human evidence of it, and worthy beyond any other’s estimate. We are spiritual. We have eternal life and ability to live it. Our help comes from God, and no picture of lack in this world can deprive us of it.

When there seems to be little materially to be grateful for, we can count our spiritual blessings. We can think. We can see beyond the picture of lack. We can find hope in God. We can love. No one can stop us from expressing love.

And in love, we find life. It is enough to meet the human need.