Beyond Matter—Finding Lasting Substance in Spirit
Going Beyond Matter to Find Real Confidence
Many chase security in material things—health, wealth, or status—but real confidence comes from grasping an identity that isn’t defined by matter. When Spirit, not substance, is our anchor, life becomes lighter, deeper, and surprisingly more practical.
Ever notice how most advice these days is about securing the right job, the right body, the right relationship? The unspoken logic: If we fix our outer circumstances, we’ll finally relax. But is matter ever stable—or does it always keep us chasing more?
The world’s answer is simple: “Matter rules. Adapt or perish.” It’s echoed everywhere, from fitness ads to wellness culture to financial planning. Our culture preaches that things—bodies, bank accounts, and reputation—are real and dictate our worth.
But there’s a crack in this logic, isn’t there? Matter changes. Bodies heal, but they also hurt. Trends come and go. Even the best moments fade. If we’re fundamentally of matter, then suffering is inevitable and hope is temporary.
It doesn’t meet conventional thinking halfway; it walks out the side door. The lesson’s Golden Text (Matthew 7:18) speaks of good trees bearing good fruit—the implication being that spiritual identity alone produces lasting good, while a matter-based identity misses the mark.
Here’s the radical point: Spirit, not matter, is substance. In other words, what actually defines our experience isn’t physical stuff but spiritual qualities—trust, hope, love, wisdom. Science and Health insists, “Matter is the opposite of life, substance, and intelligence…Which ought to be substance to us—the erring, changing, and dying, the mutable and mortal, or the unerring, immutable, and immortal?”
Think about it: What proves lasting through the hardest challenges? Not objects, not accolades, but what we carry within—joy after loss, peace in uncertainty, compassion in crisis. These are spiritual “treasures,” the kind Jesus pointed out: “Collect treasures for yourselves in heaven…You cannot serve God and wealth.” (Matthew 6:19–24)
Of course, suggesting “Spirit is substance” sounds like wishful thinking when life hurts. Many question: How can invisible ideas beat visible problems? Isn’t matter more practical than spirit? Christian Science doesn’t ask for blind belief, but exploration: Try anchoring identity and action in spiritual motives—love, integrity, gratitude—and see what changes.
Jesus healed not by messing with matter, but by demonstrating spiritual facts that nullified the supposed laws of matter. He raised the dead, restored health, and banished fear—mirroring the reality that life is spiritual, not bound by material limitation. “Material beliefs and spiritual understanding never mingle,” Science and Health notes. The more we identify with Spirit, the less matter tells our story.
How could this look in daily life?
When anxious about health, try grounding thought in the harmony of divine Mind rather than symptoms.
Facing loss, focus on spiritual inheritance—joy, love—that outlasts circumstances.
Feeling divided by opinions or institutions? True community forms outside dogma, in shared spiritual pursuit.
Stepping away from matter-based thinking isn’t escaping reality—it’s discovering a reality that transcends limitation and decay. The practical effect is freedom: less “fixing,” more “being.” Humor and joy become possible when we realize our true substance is Spirit—always secure, always creative.
What would happen if more choices grew from spiritual intuition instead of material calculations? Try observing, just for a day, how shifting your priority from matter to spirit affects thoughts, interactions, and peace of mind.
Open Question:
If matter isn’t the final authority, what new freedoms—and responsibilities—open up in day-to-day life? How does anchoring in spirit change how problems are faced?
