We are so used to hearing that we need to practice gratitude that it’s almost a cliche. Even so, today you are practicing gratitude after a focused moment yesterday to connect to the divine, and in preparation for tomorrow’s experience of wonder. Be grateful for the big stuff today: you are alive, and you are not alone, because even if you can’t always feel it, Divine love is always, always wrapped around you.
The reason gratitude is everywhere is that it’s practical. There are days when we cannot find the light, days we cannot find our way to God. And being able to say thank you – having really strong thank you muscles – can open doors when all the other doors are closed.
Many books on prayer talk about opening any prayer session with thanking God. God is there. Not matter what else is happening in our lives, we can be thankful for that.
It’s not always easy. I have struggled throughout my adult life with a painful autoimmune disorder. In the spring of 2019, the immunosuppressing medication I was taking started major side effects, and I had to stop taking it. My immune system went crazy. I couldn’t keep food down, I was having all kinds of internal bleeding, and my doctor started to suspect that I might have a complication with a 50% mortality rate. I was lying in the ER in enough pain that I could hardly think. It was hard to get a toehold on anything, let alone connection to God. But what I did have in that moment was a clean hospital bed, a kind nurse, and my husband standing next to me holding my hand. I had insurance. Before long, I had a blessed IV full of pain medication flowing through me. There was actually, in that moment in the hospital, a lot to be grateful for – I still had a long hospital stay ahead of me, and a lot of medical stuff to unpack – but my way into God in that moment was gratitude.
And there are times – we are human, there are going to be times – when we feel a kind of boredom of the soul. Frustration that our lives aren’t unfolding the way we think they should, or even just a disquiet that we cannot name. In those moments, it’s also hard to connect to God – even if on the surface everything is fine. I’m fine, you say to yourself. I just feel… disconnected. Or disorganized. Or itchy in a way that doesn’t feel good. You could just watch TV or surf the internet until the feeling passes. We have all been there! However, you always have a choice in that same moment to take a moment to notice a few of the real gifts of your life – a healthy pet, a working dishwasher, a shampoo that smells great. God is in the details. Find him.
Gratitude is everywhere these days, and that makes it easy to discount its tremendous power to heal and bless us. Breathing is everywhere, too, but we need it. We depend on it.
Invocation
Thank you, God, for the Divine love you wrap around me.
Meditation
Sit down with a decent pen and write 100 gratitudes. Push yourself – not just “grateful for this home” but “grateful for the roof tiles that protect us.” Not just “grateful for my daughter,” but “grateful for the way my daughter lights up a room when she laughs.”
Affirmation
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Today, pick something you know you will do multiple times – open your car door, or climb stairs – and use that as a trigger to offer a moment of silent thanks to the Divine. So every time you put your foot a step, offer thanks.
Spirit Shred 