Article February 23, 1952 Issue

COMPLETE SATISFACTION

MIRIAM BECKHOFF DAMSGAARD

It is a truism that in human experience there is no such thing as complete satisfaction. Such common expressions as "too good to be true," "the little rift within the lute," "a fly in the ointment," indicate the expectation and acceptance of that which is less than perfect. This tendency to be contented with halfway measures, with that which is less than completely satisfying, is challenged by Christian Science. In this Science, man is seen to be spiritual and perfect, the image and likeness of God, and complete satisfaction is perceived to be the demonstrable result of man's perfection.

The Psalmist sang (Ps. 17:15), "I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness," thus defining true satisfaction as man's consciousness of his identity as the image and likeness of God. Man is cognizant of his eternal perfection as God's spiritual idea. Since man is God's perfect reflection, which cannot deviate in the slightest particular from the perfect original, he must also reflect God's completeness. Thus he can lack nothing which is necessary to his eternal harmony and immortality.

In this spiritual harmony, where man is reflecting the perfection and completeness that are eternally his by virtue of his status as the child of God, there can be nothing with which to be dissatisfied. Since man reflects God, can he possibly include anything bitter, unlovely, or unsatisfying? Since perfection precludes imperfection of any kind and completeness excludes any supposition of incompleteness, lack, frustration, or disappointment, what obstacle to man's complete satisfaction can possibly exist?

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