Article July 9, 2012 Issue

The 'futility of futurity'

Joan Lazarus

At one time, I was at a low point in my day to day life and in my efforts to know God better. It seemed as though I had lost a sense of my closeness to God as His child. I would have moments of great comfort and inspiration, but then later in the day I would feel dragged down by the demands of my daily activities. This tepid mental state felt very unsettling. I longed for the genuine inspiration and mental clarity I usually enjoyed. I persisted in my prayers, and I soon found insights that lifted my heart. First, I recalled how a dear friend had once said that sometimes we think that anything good (health, abundance, freedom, joy) is pending—that the future holds something that seems lacking in the present. She called this kind of thinking “the futility of futurity.”

I began to see more clearly how futile it is to wait for what God has already provided and is always present. It’s like being given a beautiful gift but then refusing to open it and enjoy it. Right now, we are all receiving the gift of being God’s infinitely unique expression, and we can enjoy dwelling at the point of inspiration, health, happiness, peace, and perfection.

Mary Baker Eddy emphasizes this spiritual fact as she quotes Paul: “ ‘Now,’ cried the apostle, ‘is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation,’—meaning, not that now men must prepare for a future-world salvation, or safety, but that now is the time in which to experience that salvation in spirit and in life. Now is the time for so-called material pains and material pleasures to pass away, for both are unreal, because impossible in Science. To break this earthly spell, mortals must get the true idea and divine Principle of all that really exists and governs the universe harmoniously” (Science and Health, p. 39).