The Energy and Power of Gratitude
By Leslie Woods
“We must now, however, take our prosperity as a matter of course. We must be deeply grateful for all the good that comes to us—and we must express our gratitude, because gratitude serves to increase our supply.” Myrtle Fillmore, How To Let God Help You
It is the season of gratitude! Often, when we think of gratitude and abundance, our minds automatically think, money. While that is a form of abundance, it is not the only form. When we open our minds, expand our gratitude, for all things our supply does indeed, increase. Having a spiritual practice of gratitude shifts so many aspects of our lives. Gratitude is key to maintaining a positive perspective and healthy mindset.
In moments, when our energy is low because we have experienced upsetting news, challenging circumstances, or loss, gratitude helps to replenish the energy we have spent trying to maintain functionality. Do you ever wonder why during stressful times we feel so exhausted? Our bodies are gearing to survival mode. Our bodies are chemically responding to the situation at hand. What is amazing is the ability for us to supply additional energy and replenish energy by the simple act of gratitude!
Jesus regularly gave thanks and praise to God. He recognized that energetic connection between His humanness and embodiment of the Divine. Giving thanks was that charge, the plugging into the current, that provided many amazing events. The feeding of the thousands comes to mind. Jesus calls forth a little boy with five loaves of bread and two fish. Thousands were fed. Some may speculate whether the bread and fish multiplied miraculously. Some may speculate that small bits, extremely small bits, were sufficient bite sizes to satisfy the hunger. But what if Jesus’ faith in the divine in everyone, His trust that God moves and expresses as each of us, awakened people to share what they had. He was certain the need would be met and he did not fret about how. And, it was.
Which leads to this nugget of wisdom from Catherine Ponder, “I give thanks that the divine results now appear in the divine way.” Rev. Ponder founded Unity of Austin in 1961. She was what I would call a pioneer minister as she started several Unity churches. The gratitude we express before knowing exactly what we want is so powerful! It is affirmative prayer at its finest. In the quote above, it was just specific enough, yet open enough to not limit what would be revealed. She didn’t declare what the result should be. She was open, fully trusting in God’s providence. How often do we give thanks before we know all the details? How often do we give thanks before we can even wrap our head around a situation?
When we dig deep into gratitude, we can find sparks of divine intervention in moving through difficult times. Those sparks may not be immediately known. Sometimes we have to experience something more than once for us to discover the spark. Is there a circumstance where you think, “Why does this always happen to me?” Then fast forward a few trips around that moment of discomfort and finally revealed, is the lesson. The lesson is a gift. God did not create this circumstance, but the revelation of the lesson might be considered a divine spark. Holding gratitude for that lesson will bring forth a bounty of better choices, smoother transitions, self-awareness, and empowerment to set healthy boundaries if needed and not repeat a cycle.
Gratitude, when practiced daily will bring forth unexpected fruitfulness. It shows up in many forms, like a tight group of people who “get you”, synchronicity, nature revealing its splendor, unexpected gifts in various sizes, and perhaps one of the greatest gifts, balance. Find moments each day to express gratitude for at least one thing. Journal about the gifts of lessons learned, angels in human form coming to our aid, unexpected surprises along your life’s journey, and the little things in life that we take for granted. Outwardly express your gratitude to those who impact your world. In the coming days, take notice of the amazing shift and balance anchoring you and supporting you. It is a splendid thing!
Leslie Woods serves as Spiritual Leader at Unity of Austin, Austin, Texas. She is a student at Unity Worldwide Spiritual Institute and serves on the Unity Minister Student Association Board. Church services at Unity of Austin are Sundays at 11 am and can also be viewed via live stream on the Unity of Austin YouTube Channel. unitychurchaustin.org
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