Rest in Gratitude
This Blog was inspired by Psalm 65 and Deuteronomy 8:7-18
Just how are we to rest in gratitude? Is it like resting in a warm bed?
There are two blankets on my bed covered by a pretty blue spread. I feel so blessed to be warm in the winter, to be so well-provided for. I remember only one occasion when I was seriously cold at night. Although I was raised in a house without central heating in damp and rainy England, in a rambling manor house called Camden Cottage, we always had hot water bottles in our beds, a roof over our heads, and the promise of the kitchen warmed by the gas cooker in the morning. And food, though not always overflowing, was enough.
For this I am grateful.
Who and what are you grateful for?
Gratitude is a spiritual discipline. There is the discipline of surrender, the discipline of listening, the discipline of selflessness, the discipline of waiting. And there is the discipline of gratitude.
Just like those blankets on my bed, gratitude is something to keep us warm in the dark times and the good times, so we will awaken refreshed and immersed in an awareness of a greater reality, Allah, Brahman, Shekina, Spirit, God, as our giver of all things good, and of life itself.
To experience gratitude completes a circle of holiness, of love. God gives. We receive. We rest in gratitude, completing a flow of love from God to us, connecting us with this greater reality.
Awareness of God, dwelling in God’s presence is not a momentary thing we sometimes do in a church but is an experience of a deep love that grows us from the inside out.
God frees us, forgives us, and blesses us with all the good things we will eat this Thanksgiving, but gives us much greater food even than the Thanksgiving turkey and cranberry sauce, or the baked ham and green beans, or the pumpkin and the elderberry pies.
God stills the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, and the turmoil of the nations.
Remember, you are not alone. Gratitude is a way to feel connected to others and to God.
For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land—a land with brooks, streams, and deep springs gushing out into the valleys and hills; 8 a land with wheat and barley, vines and fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil and honey; 9 a land where bread will not be scarce, and you will lack nothing…
God is Mystery and Abundance of spirit.
***
Spiritual Practice
Tonight, when you are resting in your bed, bring to mind all the moments where you have experienced joy.
If you are alone, recall two people you’ve seen today. What do you know about them that you are grateful for? When you see them again, if possible, tell them how you are grateful.
When you wake tomorrow morning, take time to stretch and greet the day joyously. Stop worrying about anything.
Trust in the process of Love. Rest in Gratitude
