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Today's
Meditation:
We call it
"paying lip service," that tendency to say that
we think one way, but then to act in another way.
It's so easy to do this with the blessings we have in
life-- it's very simple to say how much we appreciate them,
but then to ignore them or misuse them or even abuse
them. That person for whom we're grateful because of
the help that she or he gives us-- do we take advantage of
that help by expecting too much of that person? Or
do we let that person slip to the side when things are
going better for us?
How
do we use the blessing of our income? Do we use any
of it to try to help others, or to try to make the world a
better place? Or do we simply try to turn it into
more money, or convert it into material goods by spending
it? What about the food that we have to eat each
day? Do we eat just enough for our share, or do we
eat more than we need to live? Do we throw any of it
away? I can say that I appreciate my blessings, but
if I don't treat them with respect, then my words are
empty, my "appreciation" hollow.
Our
blessings are deserving of our undivided gratitude.
After all, blessings are things that make our lives
better, whether we've worked to earn those things or
not. A blessing can help us to live more
comfortably, more peacefully, more in balance, more
aware. Blessings come in many shapes, sizes, and
colors, and it's impossible to count them all-- but it is
possible to ignore them, to act as if they don't exist at
all. How often do we tell other people just what's
going wrong in our lives-- all the while ignoring all those
things that are going right?
I
hope that I'm always able to be aware of the blessings in
my life and to feel gratitude for them-- and to be sure to
take advantage of them and not ignore them. I want
my blessings to be foremost in my mind, even when
frustration and aggravation and fear are fighting to take
over their spot. My blessings are a very real part
of who I am, and it's up to me to use them in all the ways
that I possibly can-- for blessings have a way of spreading
to others, even if they take a different form with them.
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