Source:  Owen Waters

Gratitude (Charles Shaughnessyblog)With the ups and downs of life, there can be times when your connection to a universe of love seems distant. The opposite of love is fear and it appears in many forms. All negative emotions including guilt and anger are expressions of fear and they can flourish in the absence of love.

Fortunately, fear has a simple antidote. Love dissolves fear, so you need to know how to bring its feeling back when it has temporarily gone away.

Gratitude is one type of expression of love which has enormous power. Gratitude is invoked when you mentally send love to those whom you appreciate. It becomes especially powerful when you send your gratitude to your concept of God the Creator for all the good things in your life and for life itself, because God will reciprocate with uplifting energies. That one step you take towards God really does bring a reaction of two steps towards you.

Gratitude takes you right out of your personal sphere of consciousness and into an expanded view of the universe.

In this way, it raises you far above the petty fears that still try to haunt people in the everyday world. Gratitude is one of the most beautiful secrets in spiritual life. It is an expression of love, and love flows through all forms of manifestation. Without love, life in the universe cannot exist. Love is the universal force of preservation which holds Creation in manifestation.

When you allow your heart to open to the universe’s flow of love, gratitude comes with that flow. Gratitude for being alive, for just existing, for just being in the flow of the adventure of life. Gratitude for the Sun that gives us life. Gratitude for the Creation of the Earth as our home in this great cosmos. Gratitude for the people that you love, and for those who share your journey through life.

Gratitude flows unimpeded from an open heart. When you allow it, gratitude will flow as freely as the sunshine, unobstructed by judgments or conditions. Use the following affirmation and see what happens. Keep repeating it and, each time, think more about what the words mean. The Gratitude Affirmation adds new meaning to the term, quality of life. It really works! Try it now.

Gratitude Affirmation

I am grateful for life
And all that I love
I am grateful for the Earth
And the Sun up above
I am grateful for my spirit
And my inner being
For the One that I express
And the joy of this feeling

When you awaken each day, even before you get out of bed, think of ten things for which you are grateful. Finish your reflections with the Gratitude Affirmation and, each day, you’ll feel inspired to have the best day ever!

This is an excerpt from Owen Waters’ Indie award-winning book, Spirituality Made Simple, which is available both as a paperback and a downloadable e-book, at:  http://www.infinitebeing.com/ebooks/simple.htm