Happiness "in conformity with Christ"
One can hardly estimate the value to humanity of learning the secret of a common happiness. This understanding of universal happiness, its divine basis and perpetual availability, would make it impossible for anyone to harm another through envy, scorn, antipathy, or any other disruptive human belief. It would play a great part in ruling out the greed, rivalry, and rankling fear which set nations warring against one another.
Christian Science reveals the spiritual basis of happiness, together with the unerring way to attain it. On page 337 of "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" Mary Baker Eddy writes, "For true happiness, man must harmonize with his Principle, divine Love; the Son must be in accord with the Father, in conformity with Christ." An unhappy feeling is an untrue feeling—a contradiction of Christliness. True happiness, as understood in Christian Science, does away with the discordant, unprincipled thoughts and feelings which betray men into unhappiness.
The happiness which is "in conformity with Christ" is unmarred by any personal or mortal element, by any sense of demoralization and disturbance. Real happiness, being spiritual, is flawless and invariable. It is at hand to banish the selfishness which gives rise to a hurtful attitude and hurt feelings. Happiness is generally thought of a purely personal matter, but the scientific fact is that man's spiritual individuality includes happiness. So if we are to find happiness, we must "put off the old man with his deeds," and "put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him."
Real existence without happiness is unthinkable. Our Leader's statement regarding the need of "conformity with Christ" is illumined by her reference to Christ as "the true idea voicing good, the divine message from God to men speaking to the human consciousness" (ibid., p. 332). To bring ourselves into harmony at all points with this "true idea" and "divine message" ensures happiness. To measure up to this standard necessitates the surrender of vanity, personal whims, antipathy, and also the idolatry of slavish and anxious affection.
Christian Science rescues the human sense of happiness from mortal mind's misrepresentation of it as selfish and possessive. This parody of happiness never meets the tests of real friendship, based on divine Principle and governed by it. If, as Christian Scientists, we still have a precarious sense of friendship or are altogether deprived of this blessing, we can remedy this by discovering and demonstrating the moral and spiritual qualities associated with progressive friendship and happiness. In the Bible and in all our Leader's writings, we find these qualities shining forth and bringing blessings to humanity. In the measure in which we express universally available heavenly qualities, we rise above the belief in uselessness and friendlessness. Happiness is the sequence of godliness, and opens the way for joyous service through true thinking.
"Happiness is spiritual, born of Truth and Love. It is unselfish; therefore it cannot exist alone, but requires all mankind to share it" (ibid., p. 57). Through spiritual happiness we understand how to meet human needs compassionately and effectually. Christian Science shows us how to be faithful, true, pure, and consistently kind and helpful in our attitude towards others. When we understand that happiness is the evidence of universal Love, we intuitively discern the needs of our fellow men and meet them through expressing loving-kindness, wisdom, and mercy. Spiritual happiness has a healing effect. It dissipates sorrow, self-pity, and discouragement, because it is permeated with faith in the omnipotence of God, good.
This happiness is beyond the reach of personal failings and worldly whims. Paul said. "Be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." Happiness is something which can be demonstrated through Christian Science, for this Science rescues the human sense of happiness from the thralldom of material sense and from conformity with cheap and transient social customs. The transformation of which Paul speaks is won through our refusal to conform to the egotistic and warring standards of mortal mind which wreck human relationships. It is won by conforming with the demands of Truth, Life, and Love. Through bringing one's thoughts, feelings, and aims into "conformity with Christ" one is released from the materialistic beliefs which stand between the individual and happiness.
Happiness is demonstrated in the measure in which self-will is subdued and we "prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." Happiness waxes strong as our spiritual vision grows stronger and we manifest, step by step, the unsullied joy and satisfaction of man's spiritual individuality. Man's real nature appears as we entrust our happiness to divine Love and give heed to our highest needs by always placing first the demands of spiritual sense. Happiness is inviolable. We win it through responding to Love's demands and rejoicing in the fact that happiness is an invariable characteristic of all God's creation.
Violet Ker Seymer