The Grace of Gratefulness

In the past few posts, we discussed the importance of accepting and forgiving ourselves in order to love ourselves and others.  An area that also causes a block in our life’s flow is resistance.  I thought I would touch on a common human trait, which causes us to resist the life we’ve been given, brings about undo suffering, and gets in the way of our joy and peace.

Many years ago, I knew a fellow who was always wishing he was someone else – “Why can’t I be this?”  “Why can’t I be that?”  “Why can’t I have that job instead of this?”  I expressed to him that God gives each one of us a very special Gift; it is ours to determine what we do with that Gift.  If a person looks at his/her Gift and says: “Gee, I wish I had what you have instead.” – I would think God would be offended.  Yet, I know God accepts us exactly where we’re at, even in our anger.  We may not immediately see our potential—we may initially be disappointed that we do not have a beautiful tenor voice like Bocelli or that we are not a gifted pianist like Mozart, but we have been given a Gift—each one of us.  The more we resist our Gift, the more we operate out of fear – fear of expressing our true self – fear of being judged by someone else – fear of being judged by ourselves.  God does not give us Gifts that cannot be used.

The fellow I was referring to was my husband—I often pray that he has since found peace and contentment.  I’ll share a poem that expresses this concept:

A Bag of Tools

Isn't it strange

That princes and kings,

And clowns that caper

In sawdust rings,

And common people

Like you and me

Are builders for eternity?

Each is given a bag of tools,

A shapeless mass,

A book of rules;

And each must make -

Ere life is flown -

A stumbling block

Or a stepping stone.

(R. L. Sharpe, Best Loved Poems of the American People, 1936)

So – it is ours to create – that is the scary part!  We judge ourselves and we are afraid of being judged by others, so we build a stumbling block instead.  But, when we “get out of ourselves” and we actually begin to create, it is taking the very best of what’s within us and putting it to its very best use – it is genuine, it is real, it is an act of love.

This is where the Grace of Gratefulness comes in and this is how I feel it comes about:

The more we open our hearts to the concept of Grace, the more we pay attention.

The more we pay attention, the more we see Grace in our lives.

The more we see Grace, the more we understand how miraculous life truly is.

The more we understand the miracle of life, the more we are filled with gratitude.

Joseph Campbell, in The Power of Myth, calls this Bliss.  I believe it’s one of the greatest Gifts of Grace we ever receive.

If your life is feeling stagnant or unfulfilled, take the tiny steps of recognizing the Grace that is coming into your path, pay attention, be grateful, and then watch how gratitude melts away any resistance.

Blessings for peace and contentment.