Finding the Blessings in Difficult Situations

By John Morton, D.S.S

Have you ever had a moment when you realized that everything in your life is a blessing? Even the most challenging situations are blessings too?   Have you ever considered that you are the blessings in your challenges?

Everything in our lives is presented to us in some way as a blessing, including the nature of ourselves. When we choose to love, accept, and cooperate with whatever is presented to us, then we are relating to everything as blessings.

What is a blessing? For me, blessings mean greater good.  Goodness already exists within you and me, in everyone, and in the world around us.  Goodness is a given.  It is who we are.

Along with the goodness present now is greater good yet to become.  So we always have an opportunity to realize the greater good, to realize the blessings that already are. It can be a turning point in your life when you decide, “My life is going to be about the greater good, about finding the blessings.” It’s simply a matter of how you choose to look at each situation and yourself.

I refer to ten blessings identified by John-Roger, D.S.S. — loving, caring, sharing, health, wealth, happiness, prosperity, abundance, riches and touching.  All these blessings, every single one and many more that relate to them, are present all the time. As we become more aware of the blessings, we then allow the blessings to manifest.  That’s because the source of the blessings is always present.

It doesn’t matter to me what you call your source.  You can call it God, Holy Spirit, Higher Power, Inner Master or whatever you like.  The source of the blessings is an eternally loving presence within you that goes by all kinds of names.  It breathes with you and walks with you.  It already knows all about you and loves and adores you as you are.  Everyone has this eternally loving source within them, including you.

You can realize the blessings when you accept, enjoy, and appreciate all the conditions in your life as somehow part of the great perfection on your path of awareness of who you truly are.  So it’s up to each one of us to choose.  It’s our choice to become more aware of the blessings that come from that loving source.

By accepting that the conditions in my life right now are perfect for me, I am choosing to trust that the blessings already are.  Rather than thinking, “Oh, I made a big mistake,” or “This cannot be on my path,” or “This cannot be a blessing,” I see each experience as adding to me and my learning and growth.  So I choose to accept that everything in my life is presented to me from my source for my greater good.

I’m not saying you have to like everything that you experience.  I don’t like everything I experience. However, I’m suggesting that no matter what happens, something in each experience has value and often great value for us, more than we might first consider.  So I encourage you not to draw your first conclusion about a situation or challenge.  Be open as much as you can. The greater blessings are often something that we don’t initially see.

When I see challenges in this world that appear to defy the greater good or deny the blessings, I consider they are just ways of testing us to see if we will trust even more than we already have.  At times, choosing the blessings can take tremendous courage, clarity and conviction.  We may be called upon to be patient and endure more than we imagined we could.  When we do, we can then discover our strength more fully and completely.  We can find a greater love than we knew possible.  With confidence and trust, we can then look to every challenge as an opportunity to learn and grow and know our goodness even more.

Whenever a challenge is presented to us so we can choose to learn to be more loving and caring, to be more accepting and compassionate, to forgive more fully and completely. Perhaps we are simply learning to know we are the blessings, the ones already present regardless of conditions and the ones coming forward as we are patient and enduring with looking for the blessings.

How do we find the blessings?  Through our trust in that eternally loving source by staying open to seeing the greater good.  So when we are faced with any challenge, we can ask within to realize and be more aware of the blessings.  In my experience, when I ask my source to help me understand and realize what is for the greater good, I am shown the blessings.

I find that the deepest, most meaningful aspects of my life are ones that may first appear to be ordinary and inconsequential. Maybe I realize what a blessing it is to have shoes on my feet and clothes on my back.  Perhaps I’m aware that I have people who I care about and who care about me.   Sometimes it’s as simple and as vital as, “I’m alive. I’m breathing.  I’m here.”

The blessings already are, so take this moment to look for the good and seek the greater good yet to become.

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The Importance of Gratitude

By: Laura Miller

Do you take stock each day of the “who, what, and how” of your fabulous life? Many of us can agree that we’ve found our lives to actually notbe so fabulous at times; but in looking at the bigger picture, there’s probably plenty that we can be grateful for. Let’s examine the word “gratitude” – perhaps it’ll help you see ways that you can be grateful for things as simple as walking around upright, with all your fingers and toes intact.

  Gratitude: The Art of Appreciation

I was lucky enough to grow up in a home where I was taught the importance of “please” and “thank you.” Unfortunately, I think we live in a world where some people just expect certain things and never take the time to be appreciative when they get them; or worse, they never take the time to be appreciative in general. The importance of appreciation is often overlooked. Some people don’t ever feel appreciated themselves; and therefore, they have a hard time helping others feel appreciated. At home, in relationships with family, significant others, pets, neighbors, etc., and in any work environment, feeling appreciated can help get a person through hard times and keep them focused on what is good about any given situation.

  The Connection Between Appreciation & Happiness

 I recently heard an employment expert on the radio say that money is not what keeps a person happy in a job. Feeling appreciated by others in the work environment and enjoying their work runs circles around getting big bucks. Many people who earn a high income don’t feel appreciated for the job they do, and therefore do not enjoy their occupation; apparently it’s as they say, “Money doesn’t buy happiness.” My friends and I tell one another often how much we appreciate the time, patience, and wisdom of one another. My husband and I verbalize appreciation for each other for the many things we do to keep our relationship going strong. It’s important to even express to our parents how much we love and appreciate them for all they’ve done and continue to do for us. To have someone acknowledge your efforts and make you feel appreciated is an important part of feeling connected to them.

 Aside from people and relationships, for me it is important to have gratitude for the things that are so easily taken for granted in our daily lives. For me, the sun is a huge ‘upper’ and I like to say out loud, “Thanks for the glorious sun!” as often as possible. You don’t have to say this to anyone in particular, just put the sentiment out there. You will feel so good – I promise. My car is another object of my affection, as it gets me where I want to go, and I am so appreciative of that! I often tell my car how much it is loved and appreciated. Now you might think I’m nuts, but I’ve found that awareness of what is good in life will make you a better person and bring you joy day in and day out.

 

Count Your Blessings

 We’ve all heard the phrase, “If you have your health, you have everything.” Gratitude for a healthy body and mind is something we are often reminded of when we are exposed to another person who is not as fortunate. Remember that whatever physical aliments you might be dealing with, someone, somewhere is probably fighting a similar or worse battle than you. When we are feeling bad, mentally, physically, or emotionally, it is a great time to get in the habit of making a mental list of all we have to be grateful for. Usually you’ll find it easy to come up with at least three things that bring you joy in your life and can be considered a blessing, and a little gratitude can go a long way in making you feel better in rough times.

 Gratitude has indeed become a habit with me. I go to sleep at night with gratitude for the day, no matter what happened or how it turned out in the end, and wake up, even when it is gloomy and raining, with gratitude that another day stands before me. Embracing gratitude and using affirmations has made me a better, stronger, and happier human being. The more you focus on what is good in your life and consciously acknowledge your gratefulness for your reality, the more you will see that you can truly be a very positive force in your own life. Gratitude grows when you become aware of how it can comfort you, bring perspective about who and what is important in your life, and how you can pass this gift on to the people you love.

 Take the time to get to know gratitude. You may be surprised at how quickly a little gratitude can transform your daily life. As your gratitude prospers, so will your capacity to love and be loved. Gratitude is good for all, especially you.

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