We think of the holidays as a time to be gracious, open our homes to the joys of the season and receive the graciousness of others. Let’s decide to practice grace during the holidays and into the coming year. The difficult financial times that the world is experiencing could make us feel like caged birds with no way out. Then we remember that like the bird, no matter what the external circumstance, we can each have a song in our heart. Deepak Chopra says in his book, Why is God Laughing, “God descends to earth like a fresh spring rain and at every level God’s grace is received differently. For some it feels like love, for others like salvation. It feels like safety and warmth at one level, like coming home at another.” By remembering who we truly are, we know grace.

Whatever we’re paying attention to grows. An ancient sage of India taught that fear was born from duality. When humans realized they were no longer a part of God, they became afraid of what might happen to them. By replacing fear with faith, we come to realize that life isn’t a constant risk. We are safe, seen and cared for. We don’t allow the morning news to pull us into the dark world of disasters which is further reinforced by the evening news. We counter this by looking to our own inner guidance. Our higher intelligence residing within is what gives us a feeling of safety when all external evidence points to the contrary. No matter what our bank account says, our soul’s value is infinite. Every experience happens to our soul, not just our person. We find gratitude and connect to a higher vision for our lives. Ego driven people are puppets to the whim of the world. From the soul’s point of view, change happens against the background of non-change. Our existence is eternal, steady and all encompassing. We embrace the fact that God wants nothing from us and demands nothing of us. Our spirits within allow us to choose our part in God’s Divine plan. Our egos get stuck in I, me and mine, with no regard for how we’re all connected. On the soul level, our Divine plan is to move beyond our limitations. Our perception expands and so does our inner potential as we connect to the universe’s infinite intelligence and come closer to God in the process. There’s no need to seek - only to see how the plan unfolds before our eyes.

Our greatest teachers recognized society’s orientation toward problem solving. Buddha pointed to the problem of suffering. Jesus pointed to the problem of sin and lack of love. Gandhi pointed to the absence of peace in a world of violence. The forces of our soul are love, compassion, truth and knowing God. External solutions can be temporary and futile. Chopra goes on to say that, “On the spiritual path all problems are rooted in consciousness and the solution is always a shift in perception which shifts our consciousness.” All obstacles are opportunities signaling from our consciousness that we need to change our direction. Whenever our human minds want to expand, God is waiting so we need to stay awake and be flexible everyday. We find ultimate freedom in letting go into the grace of God. This allows us to unclog stuck energy that sends out old messages and push ourselves forward inspired by the level of consciousness that we strive to attain. God’s loving grace is all around us and ever-present.  Grace moves us beyond limitations, allowing us to welcome new opportunities, experience new insights, feel greater harmony, increased vitality and abundant supply. 

Please write to me at sandyislands@hawaii.rr.com and feel free to browse previous articles under publications at www.sandyislands.com.