The joy of overcoming self-righteousness
Self-righteousness makes us blind; understanding that we all reflect one Mind restores clear vision.
In my final year of university, outwardly, everything seemed to be going well for me. I was attending my chosen university, specializing in the subject I loved best. I had no money worries. I was dating the girl I wanted to marry and would marry. But I was unhappy. It seemed that nothing was quite good enough for me. The lectures seemed dull, the lecturers tedious and old. My academic work seemed to be a grind.
Then one morning while reading the weekly Bible Lesson from the Christian Science Quarterly, I realized that my feeling that nothing was good enough for me was my problem, not someone else’s. It was self-righteousness robbing me of my joy. With that realization came the truth that gratitude would restore joy in my work and life. Mary Baker Eddy, the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, writes: “Are we really grateful for the good already received? Then we shall avail ourselves of the blessings we have, and thus be fitted to receive more” (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 3).
The effect of this insight was immediate. Gratitude was like a light turned on in a dark room. I felt joy in all that I was doing. A good friend asked me what had happened to me because I was so changed. I was deeply impressed that Christian Science could heal character faults in this way.
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