Article August 14, 1954 Issue

JOY

JULIA M. TROUTMAN

"Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; and break forth into singing, O mountains" (Isa. 49:13). Thus in figurative language the prophet Isaiah exhorts to joy. He gives as the reason, "The Lord hath comforted his people, and will have mercy upon his afflicted."

Of all the manifold gifts bestowed upon man, there is none greater than joy. It is akin to love and the other graces of Spirit. Its companions are naturalness, happiness, and freedom. It always associates with "the garment of praise" (Isa. 61:3). Joy! What a glad sound this word has! The mention of joy lifts thought above the heavy burdens of doubt and discouragement and enables one to soar into the atmosphere of Soul.

Genuine joy is not a fleeting fancy or a mere emotional ecstasy. It is the natural outcome of an unfaltering trust in God's great love and tender mercy. This joy is the normal sequence of one's spiritual realization of his true heritage as the son of God, and this realization is gained through the earnest study and application of Christian Science. In this study much help can be gained by the use of the Concordances to the Bible and the writings of Mary Baker Eddy, with reference to the words joy, joyful, rejoicing, and happiness.

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