Article March 29, 1913 Issue

"REJOICE AND BE GLAD"

ESTHER HIGGS

What is more refreshing than the sight of a happy face; a countenance so radiant with joy that it brings an answering smile to the one who beholds it! It may be that of a little child, whose trustful innocence beams out in joyful smiles, so that the observer is cheered by the sight and murmurs "God bless you!" as he passes on his way. We have always been taught, as Christians, to rejoice, and yet in looking around us we have seen so much sorrow, sin, suffering, and misery, that one with any kindly feeling at all must often have despaired of ever rejoicing much, and though offering smiles and words of cheer to those in trouble, must have felt how futile all one's efforts were, either to rejoice oneself or to help lighten the load of others. This was the writer's attitude of thought before hearing of Christian Science, and she well remembers the sense of freedom and light-heartedness which came when the glorious truth was revealed to her and she realized for the first time that only Truth and its manifestations are real.

How different this matter of rejoicing gradually becomes! True, it is a growth, and is not attained immediately or without effort, yet working and thinking from an entirely different standpoint how certain we are of ultimate success! What, then, is the basis of our rejoicing in Christian Science? Is it not to be found in our clearer apprehension of God and His creation? God is now seen to be Mind, Spirit, Life, Truth, Love, and all that He has created to be like Himself, spiritual and perfect; so that as we look upon the material world we perceive that it is but a poor counterfeit of the true, spiritual, and perfect creation, and we know that it is our sense of things which is at fault, and not God's world, and that by keeping thought open toward God we shall gradually find reality. In Isaiah we read, "Be ye glad and rejoice forever in that which I create." Here is both our mandate for rejoicing and the subject for our joy. We are to rejoice in the spiritual creation, in that which God made and declared to be "good," "very good;" and joy in this may be endless, for His eternal creation is ever unfolding to our consciousness.

We find, moreover, that this command to express neverceasing joy is reasonable, for no matter how dark or gloomy the condition of things may be to mortal mind, we can still rejoice in the grand verities of being, and be glad forever in that which is everlasting. The eternal good is here in our midst today, only that our outlook is too material quickly to perceive spiritual good, as did Jesus, our great Exemplar, when he said, even in a time which to his disciples looked dark enough, "Your sorrow shall be turned into joy," adding for their comfort, "Your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you;" for in Jesus' perfect demonstration over sorrow and suffering, malice and hatred, he proved spiritual joy to be unassailable. If therefore our joy has the same foundation, we too can "rejoice evermore," as well as "pray without ceasing."

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