Article May 26, 1986 Issue

"You are happy!"

MARCIA PAGE WIESENDANGER

After several days and nights of various physical problems, I felt I was facing the dark and deadened sense of the "last enemy." I seemed to have no dominion or authority to cope with this fear. I called a dear friend, a Christian Science practitioner, and told her that I felt I was hanging on to life by a thread. Her first words to me were "You are happy." It was a strange thing to hear at that point. Here was no profound comment—just a very simple statement: "You are happy."

While happiness seemed a very remote state at that moment, I accepted this truth, and thought, "I am happy, because happiness is spiritual and comes from God, Spirit." All during that night I clung steadfastly to those words. Every argument of fear or torment I faced was silenced with that simple truth. Gradually the words brought about a deep spiritual conviction of God's presence and power, and with it a great sense of peace. That proved to be a turning point in a troubling experience, and the result was a complete healing.

In the business of daily living, happiness often appears to be illusive, almost a myth in many lives. It claims to be "here today, gone tomorrow." According to the messages we get in many conversations and in the media, happiness can be acquired only by material means—fame, money, drugs, and physical beauty, to name a few supposed sources of happiness. An Old Testament prophet exposes the emptiness of this state of mind in the words "Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes." Hag. 1:6. So mankind is faced with the question, "Where can I find a sense of security that brings lasting happiness?"

Enjoy 1 free Sentinel article or audio program each month, including content from 1898 to today.

Send a comment to the editors
NEXT IN THIS ISSUE
Article
Do we have to be good?
May 26, 1986
Contents

We'd love to hear from you!

Easily submit your testimonies, articles, and poems online.

Submit