Cultivating Appreciation (KB)

It is interesting how we search to find God in our moments of darkness. Those of us who pray, especially those of us who pray everyday, tend to pray even harder when we are in trouble or there is something we really need. When everything is going well and we don’t have anything in particular on our mind, we tend not to reach out. It’s almost as if we are saying, “OK, I’m going to give God a break.” It is when our prayer becomes a prayer of need that we really learn the true essence of supplication. We might say, “You know, God, I forgot You and Your blessings when things were going well. I forgot how wonderful it is to have a healthy body until now when I have pain. And now in my pain, I realize how great it was to be healthy.” Or we might say, “I realize how special it is that I have my family together when I think of the times when I didn’t have them around and I felt that lack.” Thankfully, we don't necessarily need to find ourselves in lack in order to appreciate. Spiritual tools and the power of our own consciousness give us the ability to cultivate the energy of gratitude every day, no matter where we are or what challenges we are going through. Today, take a few moments to reach out to the Creator, if only to fill yourself with appreciation for the simple gifts of this life.