Article September 12, 1983 Issue

"The anchor of hope"

ANN S. LAUGHLIN

We need to be aware of where our hopes are placed. If they are based on Spirit—on God's allness, His omnipresence—they will not give way to the dissuasions of mortal thought; our consciousness will remain stable and buoyant.

At a time of sorrow I found comfort by turning in fervent prayer to these words of Mrs. Eddy: "The nature of Christianity is peaceful and blessed, but in order to enter into the kingdom, the anchor of hope must be cast beyond the veil of matter into the Shekinah into which Jesus has passed before us; and this advance beyond matter must come through the joys and triumphs of the righteous as well as through their sorrows and afflictions."^{ Science and Health, pp. 40–41.}

Hope is seen in Christian Science as a moral quality (see "Scientific Translation of Mortal Mind" in Science and Health by Mrs. Eddy, pp. 115–116). It became increasingly clear to me that hope is not to be confused with a state of wanting. Daydreaming, wishful thinking, and longing for a particular human situation are states of mortal thought that delay progress and keep us earth-bound. They would deny God's allness and therefore disobey the first commandment. We can say in the words of the twenty-third Psalm, "I shall not want"; this is a firm denial of aggressive mental suggestions that would keep us in a state of wanting what we think we don't have. Trust in God's goodness enables us to reject longing and wanting, and to rely on His omnipresence. In Christ Jesus' parable the father tells the faithful but envious son, "Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine."^{ Luke 15:31.}