From “I wish” to “Thank you, God”

We often utter the words “I wish” for things we know can’t happen—sometimes with a glimmer of hope that our wish could possibly come true. If our wish does come true, then we may say, “Thank you, God.” But if it doesn’t, which is often the case, then we feel disappointed, discouraged, even hopeless. 

But what if we were to start with “Thank you, God,” as Christ Jesus often did? He thanked God when his friend Lazarus lay dead in a tomb. He gave thanks when four thousand people needed food and there were only a few loaves and fish available. Jesus didn’t just wish things were different. He didn’t say, “I wish I had been here so Lazarus wouldn’t have died,” or “I wish there were a market close by so we could buy food for all these people.” No. He thanked God that life was present for Lazarus because God was the present and eternal Life of Lazarus. Then, following Jesus’ command “come forth,” Lazarus walked out of the tomb (see John 11:1–44). Jesus recognized that God meets human needs by giving us the spiritual ideas that make up our true substance as God’s compound spiritual expression. So, he thanked God for the spiritual provision the loaves and fish represented, and the people were fed—and there were even leftovers (see Mark 8:1–9).

God loves and provides unlimited good for all His sons and daughters, God’s very own likeness. Jesus was so sure of this that the apparent lack did not cause him to wish for things to be better. Material evidence was never his basis for trusting God. He knew that God as divine, universal Love is always amply providing us with the spiritual ideas we need and that understanding this manifests in the meeting of our human needs. And Jesus proved this time and time again by thanking God that this was true. 

Instead of wishing for what we think is missing, we can open our hearts to the law of God’s infinite goodness.

Wishing sometimes arises from covetousness—wanting what others have. In a Christian Science Monitor story about David Skeel, a professor of corporations and bankruptcy at the University of Pennsylvania Law School, Mr. Skeel shares how he strives to avoid covetousness, which is forbidden by the Tenth Commandment, through his Christian faith (“Jealousy at Ivy League level: How a law professor views Tenth Commandment,” February 10, 2020). He recalls that once, “when one colleague developed a grand theory of bankruptcy, I felt like I had to develop a grand theory of bankruptcy.” But, “The job of scholars, he says, is ‘to encourage one another’ to give credit and feedback when due, even if it might elevate a colleague and reduce one’s own stature.” Mr. Skeel is interested in following the example Jesus set and helping his students do the same. He says, “In a big-picture sense, the question I ask myself, and I encourage my [Christian law] students to ask themselves: ‘Would Christ recognize who I am becoming? Is this what a follower of Christ might look like?’ ”   

What an example of the Christ transforming a destructive wish with a constructive desire! And Christian Science recognizes the power of Christ to enable us to not just rightly wish for but be divinely impelled to accomplish needed change and spiritual growth. 

As we acquaint ourselves with God and His law of infinite provision, we see that this includes everyone. We don’t have to wish for more than we have. God’s unlimited provision for all that we need is the provable law of being Jesus practiced—which God revealed to Mary Baker Eddy and is explained in her book Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures.

So, instead of wishing for what we think is missing, we can open our hearts and learn of the law of God’s infinite goodness, and of our true being as God’s infinite manifestation. Understanding God’s unfailing care for us can become our daily motive. As Science and Health says, “Working and praying with true motives, your Father will open the way” (p. 326).

Like Christ Jesus, with confidence in God’s goodness and care, we can begin to thank God even in the face of seemingly insurmountable lack. Our need is for spiritual understanding, and God is already supplying that need with the spiritual ideas that precisely meet it. Exchanging “I wish” for “Thank you, God,” can lead to improvements in health, character, and other areas of our lives. It’s the law of divine Love in action!

Barbara Vining
Editor