Article August 26, 1991 Issue

Why be grateful?

Gratitude shouldn't just be something we express after good comes our way. Gratitude can be a recognition of what God has already given us as His children.

Irene L. Alley

Gratitude. Don't we usually think this comes after we get what we want? That is, isn't gratitude the natural outcome of having what we want, whether we believe that's a perfect mate, a perfect job, a perfect home, or whatever? After we have worked hard to obtain our heart's desires, it would be only natural to ease up, lean back, sigh with contentment, and be grateful things were done at last. After all, when the work is over, there will be time to be grateful to God for what has been accomplished!

That was what I thought before I became a student of Christian Science and learned that this is not true gratitude at all. Appreciation is not a quality that washes over one after a tide of material pleasures. True gratitude is a spiritual quality that flows naturally as we awake to our true identity as spiritual ideas of the one God, the divine Mind. Real gratitude is the recognition that God, infinite Spirit, is the creator and source of all good.

As we become aware of our unity with God, we become aware that good is all He intends for us, His children. Lasting happiness, abundance, and love are ours to enjoy now. When we start thinking more of God and less of personal conquests, we are starting our search for Truth in the right way. When we learn more about God, we learn more about our real selfhood as His reflection, or expression. A practical effect of this is that we find redemption and healing in our lives.

Send a comment to the editors

NEXT IN THIS ISSUE

Article

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT CHRISTIAN SCIENCE