What person does not wish to experience real joy, fulfillment, love? And why not? It is, in fact, everyone's right, their inheritance as children of God. "And if children, then heirs," says the Bible. "Heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ."^{Rom. 8:17;}

God, our Father-Mother, is all good, and He is giving us all good continually. Not only can we claim this, but we can know that joy, fulfillment, and love are ours already, right now, simply because we reflect all these qualities spontaneously from God. Our work is to recognize our spiritual at-one-ment with Him.

I'm sure most of us have moments of happiness when everything is going right, the sun is shining, and the joy within us spills out and lights up everything around us. But true joy, being spiritual, is not momentary but permanent. It is not something ebbing and flowing, something we sometimes have, sometimes don't. Nor is it dependent on events or conditions around us. True spiritual joy is ours always, a gift of God, unchanging, radiant, forever available. We have only to claim it, and the flood tides of God's love will light up our whole human experience.

This may seem hard to accept or to demonstrate during times when everything seems to be going wrong, or when we believe we are unhappy, lonely, or ill. But holding on to joy during any unhappy experience brings wonderful healing. When we turn our thought away from whatever seems to be troubling us and mentally draw near to God—who is so near that we are at one with Him —we can begin to recognize and be grateful for all the good we have. We begin to understand the reality of good and see through the illusion of evil.

How can we be sure of our at-one-ment with God? Let's look at what Mrs. Eddy tells us God is: "Principle; Mind; Soul; Spirit; Life; Truth; Love." ^{Science and Health, p. 587;} God is All, and there is nothing else; so everywhere there is nothing but Love, nothing but Spirit, nothing but good! Paul says, "In him we live, and move, and have our being."^{Acts 17:28;} We have no being apart from Truth, Life, and Love.

What a wonderful warm glow of gratitude comes from catching just a glimpse of omnipotent, omnipresent Love! Christ Jesus said, "I and my Father are one." ^{John 10:30;} We too have authority to affirm our real spiritual being. Our true identity is one with Mind as effect is one with cause: one with Mind as its expression. There, at once, is joy! We feel and know God's presence and acknowledge that Love is enveloping, sustaining, and upholding every element of our being. This awareness immediately helps us feel God's law acting in our human experience so tangibly that real spiritual joy cannot help but be present with us.

There is no cause for anyone to feel depressed by the thought of being unattractive. What a false picture to hold of oneself that one is underprivileged, short of beauty and charm! In reality, everyone is always God's perfect child, lacking nothing. Can there be anything unattractive about a child of God, made in His image and likeness? We are all representatives of the one Mind, God. We are His spiritual ideas, and no one is left out; there is infinite variety but always perfection.

Beauty, warmth, goodness, vitality, radiance, are qualities of God, which we spontaneously reflect. Have you ever seen anyone who radiates real love, warmth, integrity, and joy—plain? So why don't we clear all the rubbish-thoughts of lack, envy, or preoccupation with personal appearance and let God's perfect reflection shine forth? Then, forgetting self, claiming our joy, we can have a keen, compassionate interest in others, so that our whole outlook is changed, and with it our experience. This move beyond a limiting self-consciousness is possible to all of us in Christian Science.

About six years ago a woman was very ill, and the physical symptoms were alarming. She had been studying Christian Science, but because her family were very concerned, she finally consented to a major operation. However, when she got home after seeing the specialist, she suddenly knew she could not and would not go through with it. For help she wholeheartedly turned to God, "who healeth all thy diseases." ^{Ps. 103: 3.} As soon as the decision was made, she felt God very near, and she knew a wonderful feeling of joy. This joy remained with her even though the material symptoms persisted for several weeks. Throughout she had the help of a loving Christian Science practitioner. Then one morning she awoke to find she was completely healed. She needed no period of convalescence; she was well.

How powerful is the joy the Christ brings! The joyful recognition of the ever-presence of the Christ, Truth, heals. Whatever seems discordant or wrong must disappear into nothingness, which, in reality, is all discord ever is.