Having “wit, humor, and enduring vivacity”

Something I have learned in my time here, which I am very grateful for, is that there is a difference between being serious about this work and being overly serious. The Bible tells us to “Be sober, be vigilant” (I Peter 5:8) but also tells us that joy is a “fruit of the Spirit.” (Galatians 5:22) Certainly all of the workers in Plainfield do take Christian Science seriously, but sometimes the temptation has come to be overly serious, and in that temptation I have drifted away from having “wit, humor, and enduring vivacity” as Mrs. Eddy quotes in Miscellaneous Writings. (p. 117)

I think of the story of Elijah in I Kings 19, as he found himself succumbing to this temptation which led him to feel he was the only one left on earth doing God's will. There have been times I have been tempted to believe that only the members of this church are truly doing God's work, but then I have realized such a viewpoint would mean that evil has gained a victory. Such a perspective is definitely not Christian Science, and therefore it cannot be true.

Similarly, I have been tempted to feel personally responsible for the work that God is having me do, rather than following Christ Jesus in saying, “the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.” (John 14:10) In my experience, feeling personally responsible is a very sure way to become overly serious, and also a sure way to lose my effectiveness in this work.

Mrs. Eddy says in Lessons of the Seventh Day, also known as the Brown Book: “To look into the world and see sin, sickness and death, that is hate — to look out into the world and see everything in God's image and likeness, that is love.” (p. 340) Therefore, I am grateful to learn that being sober and vigilant truly can coincide with having “wit, humor, and enduring vivacity” and it also means that as I have those qualities I can “look out into the world and see everything in God's image and likeness” with a smile on my face and joy in my heart, and be assured “that is love.”

In Miscellaneous Writings, Mrs. Eddy explains that obedience is shown forth by being “Never absent from your post, never off guard, never ill-humored, never unready to work for God.” That really says the whole thing. We must show up, be vigilant, be joyful, and be willing to do what God would have us do, and that is “being ‘faithful over a few things.’” (p. 116)