We all feel nostalgic from time to time. Sometimes this disguises a desire for meaning or belonging. But looking back isn’t helpful if we’re entertaining, maybe unconsciously, thoughts of “Things were better when …” Longing for what once was, or idealizing a certain time period, with either regret or nostalgia, can box in our thinking with a sense of life bound by time periods and material conditions. It can obscure the spiritual fact that real good is abundantly present, here and now.
To help us understand more deeply the good that is always available to us, Christian Science explains all true good as sourced in God. God, divine Life, is unchangeable and eternal. And God’s expression is eternally active, never outdated or diminished or bound to a certain age or period. Many individuals have found that studying and practicing Christian Science helps them to be more aware of the divine power and presence.
We start with understanding that spiritual progress is linked to thought that is forward-looking – toward the understanding of the present reality of God’s kingdom. Referring to the words of the master Christian, Christ Jesus, Mary Baker Eddy wrote, “‘The kingdom of God cometh not with observation’ (with knowledge obtained from the senses), but ‘the kingdom of God is within you,’ – within the present possibilities of mankind” (“Miscellaneous Writings 1883-1896,” p. 251).
Seeking the kingdom of God within – available to each of us now – helps anchor our thought in the truth that the blessings God gives are never tied to a material form, circumstance, or period. They are always available and are found through our unbreakable connection with divine Life and Spirit.
It can be tempting at times to look at an undeniably “golden age” of healing – such as the time of Jesus and his disciples or of Mrs. Eddy and her early students in Christian Science – through the lens of nostalgia. Yet, we can find encouragement and inspiration by learning from the past rather than longing for it. When we feel gratitude for past blessings, it has the promise of enriching our present experience.
Yearning for a time that we perceive as having been filled with healing speaks to a present-day hunger to witness more of this healing power today. And this is a holy yearning. But when we imagine that healing, inspiration, or holiness belonged more fully to another time period, we deny the timelessness of the Christ, Truth.
As the divine manifestation of God, Christ has no beginning and no end, and no relation to time at all. God’s goodness has never been nearer to us at any time in history than it is currently. Whenever and wherever thought is receptive and willing to yield to divine law, we can experience the kingdom of God.
Trusting in the truth of God’s ever-presence, we can look forward to a bright future and can practice and prove today what Jesus taught and evidenced of God’s goodness and healing power. Jesus’ examples of healing are proof of the timelessness of the presence of Christ. The divine qualities that prepare the mental soil from which healing springs up are not historical, but spiritual, and therefore ever active and right at hand. Feeling gratitude and appreciation for what has come before brings strength and clarity to the present.
The works done by Christ Jesus and his immediate followers – and, later, by Mrs. Eddy and those she directly taught – proved the ever-present and unchanging reality of God’s goodness and power. The divine goodness and power are just as present and effective today. The recently published book “Christian Science: Continuing Evidence of Christ-Healing” includes more than 80 verified, contemporary accounts by people who were healed through reliance on Christian Science – of, for example, anxiety, seizures, cancer, alcoholism, and severe injuries.
There is no time, no era, in which divine Truth has been more effective than it is today. “The teachings and demonstration of Jesus were for all peoples and for all time; not for a privileged class or a restricted period, but for as many as should believe in him” (Miscellaneous Writings, p. 244).
Whether or not it’s been recognized in any given time period, Christ, Truth, remains constant. What an assurance – to know that the same Christ that brought healing 2,000 years ago is present today, communicating spiritual good to human consciousness and reminding us that God’s power is available to all of us here and now.
Adapted from an editorial published in the Feb. 23, 2026, issue of the Christian Science Sentinel.
