You’ve got to want it
Recently as I was out enjoying the beautiful ocean on my surfboard, a wave began to crest. I turned to paddle and heard an enthusiastic friend encourage me, “You’ve got to want it!”
Well, the wave rolled under me and I missed it. But I got to thinking about my friend’s comment, and other aspects of life it could apply to.
In my study and practice of Christian Science, I turn to prayer throughout my day. It struck me that it’s useful to consider what it is that we’re really yearning for when we pray.
Mary Baker Eddy, the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, states in “Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures,” “Desire is prayer; and no loss can occur from trusting God with our desires, that they may be moulded and exalted before they take form in words and in deeds” (p. 1). To me, this points to a willingness to let go of unhelpful modes of thought and fears, and to prayerfully seek the spiritual reality of God’s complete goodness.
If God is All and is all good, as the Bible conveys, then everything we need is already present. God provides abundantly for all of us, His spiritual offspring. From this perspective, all that’s left to desire is the understanding that God’s goodness is already present. From this flows better health, stronger relationships, needed resources, and a more permanent peace. So, is this understanding worth wanting? Absolutely!
There are countless instances in the Bible where people showed a deep desire and commitment to understand the truths that Jesus taught. Let’s take Zacchaeus, for one. A tax collector, Zacchaeus was seen as a sinner, unworthy of receiving attention from Jesus. But he had such a desire to know Christ, the eternal divine nature that Jesus expressed, that he climbed a tree to be able to see Jesus.
Jesus discerned this desire and told Zacchaeus to come down because that day he needed to stay at his house. Through this interaction, not only did Zacchaeus become a better man, but those around him benefited, too.
We can all seek a conviction of what Jesus proved to be the truth of our real being – that we are not mortals with problems, but entirely spiritual and good, created in the image of God. Science and Health defines God as “the great I AM; the all-knowing, all-seeing, all-acting, all-wise, all-loving, and eternal; Principle; Mind; Soul; Spirit; Life; Truth; Love; all substance; intelligence” (p. 587). The desire to know God, and to recognize His beautiful attributes as reflected in ourselves and others, brings great blessings.
There was a period when I struggled with painful shoulders. I chalked it up to age and overuse from years of swimming and surfing. But then I caught myself. Was this view of existence as fundamentally material and flawed what I truly wanted? The answer was an emphatic “No!”
So over a few months I prayed, fueled by a desire to know my true nature as God’s child, created to express abundant qualities that could never be lost in God’s infinitude. Qualities such as grace and freedom are inherent in our true being as the spiritual reflection of God.
Then one morning I felt inspired to go back out into the ocean. As I did, I found that there was no more shoulder pain. I caught a few beautiful waves and have not had a problem with my shoulders since. I continue to swim and surf regularly.
As God’s children, we all have an innate desire for goodness, health, harmony, and peace. God, divine Love, could never leave any of us in a dire circumstance or leave us to struggle on our own. We already have what we need – God’s infinite love for all. When we prayerfully nurture this inherent desire, we’re opening ourselves up to a better understanding of what already is.
As the sun disperses a mist, so a desire to understand the spiritual reality of existence disperses the mist that would make us think we can be lacking in good, and leads us into seeing the good that God bestows on us at every moment. We just need to want to see it. Then we find the metaphorical sun shining more brightly and waves cresting more perfectly, in a more joyful, grace-filled, and harmonious experience.
