We are beginning a new book, The Gratitude Effect by Dr. John Demartini, and the second chapter is titled “Gratitude and Your Spiritual Quest.” I found this to be an interesting topic to dive right into at the beginning of the book after the first chapter “What is the Gratitude Effect?”
Have you ever given consideration to applying gratitude to your spiritual quest? Maybe you say “Yes, of course.” Or maybe you say, “I go to church, or I practice spirituality, and I am grateful all the time.” Or maybe you say “I am not even sure what my spiritual quest is.”
I find some interesting points to ponder in this chapter. The first is “Is There a Higher Order or Plan” in the universe? People have been searching for meaning or better understanding of the world around them since the beginning of time. They have used mythology, religion, and science to explore what they have observed or questioned. The greatest thinkers and scientists in their quests have come to realize that there is some inherent natural order in everything, and they are in awe of this hidden intelligent order. This has driven man to look deeper and explore the unknown, and make amazing discoveries about life around us, yet all agree there is more to uncover; and there appears to be some order, a divinely organized intelligence managing everything, even in the moments of chaos. There seems that there is perfect order and love behind it all, even if it is not apparent to us at the time.
The author shares with us that he was made aware of this order when he was only 18 years old in his own quest for understanding and it had a profound life changing experience for him, so much so that he made the awareness of this “Grand Organized Design” (G.O.D.) his life work. He even see the epiphany and humbleness it brings to his clients in his work. He share this order is Love and it is the essence of The Gratitude Effect.
The second point to ponder is “My Box is Better Than Yours.” So, what does “boxes” have to do with spirituality? Have you ever thought about what spirituality means to you? Have you defined it for yourself? One definition is “Spirituality is the broad concept of belief in something beyond oneself. It may involve religious traditions centered on belief in a higher power, but it can also involve a holistic belief in an individual connection to others and to the world at large. It strives to answer questions about the meaning of life, how people are connected to each other, truths about the universe, and other mysteries of human existence.” The author makes the point in a story that we each have our own definition, but have we explored it? Is it really ours or something someone taught us? And more importantly, have we created a “box” around what we think is, and do we judge others by our box and make them right or wrong? Tearing down the box and opening our understanding to others’ perspectives allows us to enrich our life experience and understand more. In actuality, somewhere there is someone who has the complimentary opposite belief from you, and each is part of the whole so give gratitude for the richness that the understanding can bring to you. And this understanding and balance is love.
So, I invite you explore this book on gratitude with us, with Grandmother Pa’Ris’Ha, me and the other co-hosts, on Quantum Leap Book Club on Law of Attraction Radio Network. https://www.loaradionetwork.com/quantum-leap.
Co-Host – Tryna Cooper