Much has been written about the power of gratitude and yet it is so misunderstood. Giving thanks is not just about making a long list of things you would not wish to be without. It is about truly appreciating all the blessings in your life including what you may consider as not so great.

How many of you give thanks when you lose a job or when something doesn’t turn out as you had planned or expected. When these situations arise, many of you go into despair wondering what you did wrong or you worry about how you are going to handle it all.

No matter what happens in your life, it is all in Divine Order.

There is never a need for you to beat yourself up or tell yourself, “If only I did this or that, things would have turned out differently.” You are on a journey of remembering who you are and EVERYTHING you experience in your life is an opportunity to remember more and more.

When things are not working out the way you had hoped or if a situation happens that you would call unfortunate or sad or unpleasant, we invite you to give thanks for ALL of it, trusting that it is serving a purpose in bringing you closer and closer to your truth.

Rather than say, “Why me?” or “Why is this happening to me” with a feeling of despair, give thanks and then ask from your heart and soul, “Show me what this situation is here to teach me. How can this situation lead me closer to my heart’s desires and to my True Self?”

You can only give thanks for what may at first appear to be unfortunate circumstances when you KNOW and TRUST deep within your heart and soul that things are not how they appear and no matter what happens in your life, it can all lead you to more peace, joy, love and abundance but only if you are willing to see the Truth and focus on giving thanks and looking for the good in everything.

 Marisa’s Musings

I’ve certainly done my share of beating myself up when things in my life didn’t go as I had planned or hoped for. I’ve often made myself wrong in these situations because I really believed things would have turned out differently if I had done things differently. Even though this may be true, I now understand that it doesn’t mean I did anything wrong.

The truth is that I always did the best that I could with the knowledge and tools that I had at the time and telling myself that I “should” or “shouldn’t” have done this or that only made me spiral into deeper and deeper feelings of despair.

As much as I still find it challenging at times to give thanks for things that show up in my life that are not what I really want, I’m getting better and better at looking for the blessing in ALL things and giving thanks with a deeper knowing that everything can be transformed into something good.