The centuries break, the earth-bound wake,
God's glorified!
Who doth His will—His likeness still—
Is satisfied. ^{Poems, p. 79 .}

Mary Baker Eddy

It's easy for us to be less than satisfied with our looks, wardrobe, possessions, income, or accomplishments. The list could go on and on. But continual dissatisfaction tends to foster chronic discouragement, disruption of one's life, and even disease.

When the realization comes that satisfaction is subjective (within one's consciousness) and not objective (external), one is free to give up the frustration of always having to get something. And one learns to deal with so-called shortcomings spiritually rather than materially.

The business of "getting" is far too often related to the getting of objective, material things: getting wealth, fame, success, physical health. Every time a person thinks he has to get something, he is already admitting he doesn't have it. This type of thinking necessarily admits lack. However, Proverbs recommends a different kind of "getting," a subjective acquisition: "Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding. ... She shall give to thine head an ornament of grace: a crown of glory shall she deliver to thee." ^{Prov. 4:7, 9.}

The spiritual fact is that man, God's likeness, will never have anything he doesn't already have, since nothing can be added to or subtracted from God's changeless idea. We need to pray, though, to better understand our true nature, our true inheritance, and our truly unlimited supply. This prayer reveals objects previously unseen but nevertheless always existing. The Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, Mrs. Eddy, devotes the first chapter in Science and Health to the subject of prayer. Here she states, "Prayer cannot change the Science of being, but it tends to bring us into harmony with it." ^{Science and Health, p. 2.}

All too often it seems hopeless to attempt to change one's circumstances from what they appear to be to what one would like them to be. This hopelessness is derived from a misconception that lack is caused by one's physical environment and is beyond one's control.

Not understanding what prayer can do, people frequently try to manipulate power, wealth, politics, and the like to improve their individual position. The use of such material or physical means, however, sometimes leads to inharmony in business, to divorce, social unrest, and even war. The deployment of human energy to change circumstances is often well-meaning but sadly ineffective, because the human circumstance isn't what brings spiritual satisfaction. Rather, one's spiritual attitude brings a transformation of thought and thereby brings one into consonance with his God-designed, God-controlled being.

The Exemplar and Way-shower, Christ Jesus, taught that the knowing of one's true being would lead to freedom from limitation. His dictum "Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" ^{John 8:32.} shows the priority he placed on thought, rather than on matter, for happiness. The accumulation of matter never really satisfies. Only spiritual joys can provide lasting satisfaction. Jesus also emphasized, in all his teachings, the answer to dissatisfaction in the immediate availability of heaven to anyone who is ready and willing to accept it. "The kingdom of heaven is at hand," ^{Matt. 4:17.} he said. The very essence of his message lies in this immediacy of the Father-Mother God to each beloved child.

Jesus not only gave God the credit for all his accomplishments but promised to all the Father-Mother's love: "If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?" ^{Matt. 7:11.}

Just how useful are these gifts in dealing with day-to-day problems? The teachings of Christian Science emphasize the practical nature of God's love for His creation—a love that meets the human need. In fact, a leading reason for the founding of the Church of Christ, Scientist, was to restore humanity's recognition of their divine right to have direct access to the healing power of God.

Such access is gained by the spiritualization of one's thought. When we consciously exchange material concepts for spiritual ideas, we can deal with our dissatisfactions quietly, often quickly.

This is not to say that it doesn't matter whether one can pay the bills or whether one is healed of a physical disorder. On the contrary, the value of Christ, Truth, is its applicability to one's life.

The practicality of the spiritual search for satisfaction is illustrated in the life of a young Christian Scientist who, although he loved his job very much, began to feel as if it were holding him back from the pursuit of a higher degree he needed in order to advance and be of greater service in his career. Time and money seemed key factors, and as a result of a sense of pressure to do more, he became dissatisfied with his work, his plans, and himself. The only resolution he could see was to give up what he loved, to divorce himself completely from his work and move to another state for the necessary schooling.

As a part of his decisionmaking process, he listed all the pros and cons of the different choices he had. However, through his Sunday School training and during class instruction in Christian Science, he had been taught to pray to God and listen patiently for answers.

He realized that the value of weighing all the human opinions can evaporate in the face of one smidgen of spiritual inspiration. When he turned wholeheartedly to God to listen humbly for His guidance, the answers came quickly, and they were more than satisfactory. Without any solicitation on his part, he was offered the opportunity to maintain the work he loved, and he was given time off by his employer for the exact schooling he needed. In addition, the education was fully reimbursed by his employer.

Through this experience, he gained a new appreciation of true satisfaction. The place and activity hadn't changed, but his limited thought of them had. As the young man later put it, "When you listen for God's guidance and put your trust in Him completely, you don't need to search for answers on a basis of mortal reasoning. The answers will search for you, and when you're ready for them, they will find you!"

The realization of man's infinite inheritance from God leads us to satisfying human answers. As Jesus said, "Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." ^{Matt. 6:33.}

Once an individual fully realizes the spiritual nature of satisfaction, he does not need to pursue an exhaustive mental search. It is God's loving nature to reveal Himself freely to His children. Satisfaction itself is a gift from God—a God-given quality, which, when accepted, properly understood, and felt, is capable of transforming one's whole life. True satisfaction is Spirit-based and therefore guaranteed!