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"I
have noticed that the Universe loves gratitude. The more grateful you
are, the more goodies you get. When I say ‘goodies’ I don’t mean
only material things. I mean all the people, places and experiences that
make life so wonderfully worth living. You know how great you feel when
your life is filled with love and joy and health and creativity, and you
get the green lights and the parking spaces. This is how our lives are
meant to be lived. The Universe is a generous, abundant giver and it
likes to be appreciated." - Louise
Hay, "Gratitude, A Way Of Life"
The past is for
archaeologists ... and we must release it in order to live fully in the
present. And in order to do so, we must "present" our
mind with new images and ideas of happiness and joy ... and we do this
with gratitude. Gratitude gives us the sense of "having"
... and as we remind ourselves that we "have" ... our mind
turns from thinking about what we don't have and the Good that we have
begins to increase.
I believe that the most important thing to be
grateful for is Life. No matter what we may be currently
experiencing, as long as we are alive ... our experiences can change.
And being grateful for Life, we put a demand upon our consciousness to
give us more to live for ... and it will. Life is for living, not
merely existing from day to day ... and it is within us to know that
this is true.
Now, I know there are people who are living in
what appears to be, challenging circumstances. But how many of
these "challenges" have we hung onto for too long? How
many of us are experiencing unhappy relationships ... but continue to
refuse to pray about our relationships? It is so easy to fall into
the trap of complaining about our relationships then it is to
constructively pray about them. And for some of us, this may mean
that these relationships will end ... but, even that oftentimes is
something to be grateful for as that which is "new and
greater" cannot enter into our life when that which is
"finished" continues to remain.
And for others, illness is challenging them to
not feel grateful for Life. And once again ... we must be willing
to stop talking about our illnesses to other people ... and talk to God
about them in prayer. As we begin our prayer with a heartfelt
statement of gratitude for Life, we align ourselves with the Infinite
Healing Presence of God. And as we continue to pray, with
gratitude for Life, we will find that "over-coming" our
illnesses becomes our expectation ... and what we expect ... we accept
... and as we do ... we receive.
There are also many of us who don't feel any
great amount of gratitude for Life because we are facing financial
challenges, debt and a lack of hope in any positive changes in our
financial affairs. No one feels gratitude for debt or financial
lack ... but, we sometimes bury ourselves in debt and financial struggle
because we do not feel grateful for Life. Life is not one moment
in time ... and Life can change quickly as our mind is "changed
about it." We can be grateful to know that God never gives us
more than we can handle. And as we take this idea into
consciousness ... and stir up the spirit of hope and expectation within
our minds ... be grateful for knowing this is so ... and we will find
that ways that we know not of begin to open up in our lives to meet our
financial responsibilities and debts. But ... as we know ... if
our mind is focused on the debts or the lack of money ... we will never
"stir up the spirit" of hope and expectation within us ... so
we must take the time each day to change the focus of our thoughts by
turning within to "the kingdom of God" ... the spirit within
us ... and begin to "expect" that we meet all demands in our
life for money ... and this we will do.
A lifetime of happiness begins
right where we are ... right in the circumstances and conditions that we
are currently dealing with. It can be no other way ... and the
solutions; the better relationships, the health, the money and all of
whatever we desire to experience in Life ... is ours to unfold in our
lives. Gratitude is the key. GRATITUDE IS A STATE OF MIND
THAT KNOWS THAT WE HAVE ... AND THIS KNOWING THAT WE HAVE ...
AUTOMATICALLY CREATES THE CHANNEL WITHIN OUR MINDS TO ACCEPT MORE AND
MORE OF EVERY GOOD THING WE CAN IMAGINE ... GUARANTEED!
AND SO IT IS!
Keep
the faith!
Rev. Hank
Bates
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