Finding lasting satisfaction

Satisfaction. What is it and where can we find it?

I think most of us have found that material circumstances are fleeting at best when it comes to satisfaction.

Is there a deeper state of mind that can make us feel fully satisfied? A state of consciousness that is not dependent on physical factors?

Yes. A consciousness that is aware of God’s presence and power is truly satisfied. Jesus began his beatitudes with “happy are those…” and most of them rely on seeing beyond the material circumstances. So, he must have been talking about a different kind of happiness — a heavenly happiness. A spiritual joy that knows that “all things work together for good to those who love God” (Romans 8:28) A missed flight? No big deal. All things are working together. A traffic jam? All things are working together. Jesus was the master metaphysician because he looked beyond the material circumstances to perceive the true, spiritual identity of each of us. Where material sense saw a sinner, he saw the blessed child of God. I was recently reading sin described as a “frustrated desire”. I thought that was a really interesting idea and woke me up to see if I am allowing frustration to control my thinking. This shows me the need to be alert to where we are seeking happiness from and to hold the control over our own consciousness.

Here is a beautiful podcast that I just listened to and enjoyed with lots of ideas on this topic called “What truly makes us happy and satisfied?

Happiness consists in being and in doing good; only what God gives, and what we give ourselves and others through His tenure, confers happiness: conscious worth satisfies the hungry heart, and nothing else can.–Mary Baker Eddy

I love this idea that knowing our worth and our dignity is what satisfies us. Knowing who we are as the spiritual sons and daughters of God. This view is satisfying because it looks beyond the veil to what God is seeing and knowing about each one of us. It is a deep, spiritual view that we know in our hearts, we feel it, and we cherish it. It is a view that is worth drinking in everyday so that we don’t allow the world to cause us to forget about it. It sees the eternal, spotless, whole identity of each spiritual child of God as loved, loving, lovely, and loveable. Behold yourself in this view. This spiritually inspired view heals.

Spiritual living and blessedness are the only evidences, by which we can recognize true existence and feel the unspeakable peace which comes from an all-absorbing spiritual love. — Mary Baker Eddy

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Image by Jackie Samuels from Pixabay

How precious are your thoughts about me, O God.

How precious are your thoughts about me, O God.
They cannot be numbered!
I can’t even count them;
they outnumber the grains of sand!
And when I wake up,
you are still with me!

Psalms 139:17, 18 NLT

More than a praising of our mortal ego, Spirit is letting us know that each of our identities, as the spiritual child of God,  is deeply loved by God. Living in God, for God fills all space, is all that we do. So we can let God inform all our thoughts about ourselves.

No self-hatred.
No self-condemnation.
No fear.
No limitation.

In the same way that you look at a precious little baby, God is looking at you, His precious little baby.

Unspotted.
Unblemished.
You are not a sinner.

God is seeing your identity as spotless, pure and free always!

Live out your God-created identity. Live generously and graciously toward others, the way God lives toward you.

Matthew 5:48 The Message

Everyone is special

My family has a tradition of celebrating Special Days. It started with my husband and I because we like to buy each other little gifts. We also don’t like the silly focus on how old someone is that comes along with birthdays. So we celebrate Special Days several times a year. It’s a surprise because your Special Day falls on whichever day the family has decided to honor how special you are.

I love how it reminds me to show my appreciation for my family members frequently. And isn’t that the best part about birthdays — to honor someone’s unique, God-given identity?

I don’t think God knows about our age or personality or what color hair we have. I think God has a completely different view because God isn’t like man, God is a Spirit. The one and only Spirit. Infinite Life. Everlasting Love.

It’s nice to know that there is One out there who is seeing us as we really are — spiritual, unique, and free; Her adoring image & likeness; The reflection, the mirrored image, of the Perfect One.

I hope to see everyone around me the way God sees us today: made of beautiful, shining qualities radiating & shining out to warm & bless everything around you.