Living our Graces

Wednesday Wisdom. Living our Graces. 

This month, I will focus on living our graces. It is now the Easter season: a time of wonder, delight and surprise. And I am finding that to fully come into this season, we need to remember and integrate the graces of lent. We tend to go from one thing to the next; however, reflection time and integration time is needed.

Can you remember a spiritual insight that you recently received? How can you bring it more fully into your daily life?

During Holy Week, I actually hit a dark tunnel, realizing that I was not feeling at home in the skin of my life. I wasn’t feeling at peace inside myself. Something was off, and I was seeking some insight.

Through prayer and talking with a trusted spiritual companion, I had the insight that I just wasn’t feeling grateful enough in my daily life. I was too caught up in a daily loop of busyness. This was causing me great spiritual pain and a sense of separation from divine presence.

My heart was calling for me to fill it with more gratitude.  I cried, as a release and as an awakening. The Spirit was telling me that I needed to resurrect gratitude in my daily life.

“All prayer begins and ends with gratitude,” my spiritual companion told me. He recommended a simple daily practice that I’d like to share with you. At the end of the day, after you brush your teeth, take a few moments and reflect with God:

• Where did I feel the most grateful today?
• Where did I feel the least grateful today?

I have been doing this faithfully, even if it’s in bed before I fall asleep. This practice is very simple, but very powerful. I notice that the areas of where I am least grateful are also important to notice. They are places where I may need healing, or where I might need to set boundaries, or where I need to break habits.

Pause for a moment and ask yourself, what needs resurrection and renewal in your life? It could joy, love, self nurturing, quiet time, more intimacy with God. Allow this question to fill your heart. And be willing to be surprised.

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Please enjoy my latest post at Gratefulness. org. Here’s the link http://www.gratefulness.org/resource/leaning-back/.