Article February 4, 1939 Issue

Right Expectation

NATHAN G. CHATTERTON

The Psalmist sang, "My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him." To the student of Christian Science right expectation assumes increasing importance. From the moment he earnestly starts to study and apply the rules of this Science, his expectation of good steadily advances. To the Christian Scientist, life is no mere span of threescore years and ten; it is a constant state of unfolding activity, intelligence, health, wisdom, strength, joy, and peace; a constant achieving of a higher understanding of God, good, and so an increasing realization of his sonship with the Father. Thus, right expectation is a mental state carried forward under divine impulsion.

Right expectation is an aid in the ordinary experiences of human living. Indeed, it should and increasingly does influence the daily life of the sincere, earnest Christian Scientist, in his home, his business, and his church. What does he expect to contribute to his home? It does not take the conscientious student long to learn that home is not made up of bricks and mortar and so forth. Rather does he find that home is built of the strong and beautiful qualities of humility, purity, gratitude, unselfishness, loving-kindness, patience, generosity, appreciation, and the like. Humbly desiring to aid in maintaining this true sense of home, the faithful student prayerfully seeks, and confidently expects, to cultivate and bring out in his thinking more and more of the Christlike qualities. If this work at times seems difficult, he finds support in the wise declaration of our Leader, Mary Baker Eddy, regarding the consistency of individuals "who gain good rapidly and hold their position, or attain slowly and yield not to discouragement" (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 254).

The student realizes, as he progresses in spiritual understanding, that there is no place in the true sense of home, as understood in Christian Science, for self-will, self-love, self-righteousness, or other selfish beliefs of the carnal mind; and he works zealously to defend his consciousness from such beliefs. Thus thinking and acting from the noblest motives and purest ideals, the alert student expects to achieve the true sense of home, which, Mrs. Eddy says on page 58 of the textbook, "is the dearest spot on earth, and it should be the centre, though not the boundary, of the affections."

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