Article September 26, 2016 Issue

Satisfied with ever-present good

Jennifer Johnson

I don’t know how many times I’ve caught myself thinking, “If only ….” If only I had a bigger house. If only I had more money. If only I were thinner. If only my kids were better behaved. There’s a whole lot of thinking about myself in the above statements, and that simple “if only” can be a dangerous phrase to fall into.

While it’s right for our legitimate needs to be met, I’ve found that rather than focusing on what I don’t have, it’s much more helpful to think about what I’ve learned from the Bible and my study of Christian Science about what I already have, about what we all have as God’s children. I’ve come to realize that when I start listening to “if only” thoughts, I’m not loving the good that is always present and supplied by God. It means I’m not showing gratitude for what I do have and for the blessings that are going on in the world.

Thinking that everything will be just perfect if only such and such would happen is an immediate joy killer. These thoughts are direct attacks on our understanding of who we are as God’s children. They would suggest that good is absent, that our lives aren’t under God’s control, and that we weren’t made perfect and satisfied.

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