Today's Thought - December

[bluidkiti]

December 31

Working so hard for the rewards we want, we miss the gifts, already present, that God wants to give us.

~Anonymous

We cannot win many of the good things in life; we can only receive them. It is like falling asleep. No one can will himself to sleep. If we could, there would be no such thing as a sleepless night. The harder we try, the more awake we become. We can only allow ourselves to fall asleep. We cannot create a sunny day or a beautiful sight in nature, but we can block them from our awareness. We cannot fall in love by force of will, but we can prevent it from happening by our willfulness or busy habits. Our raging appetites and anxious state of mind can drive us willy-nilly in search of satisfaction—while more profound gifts are already in our hands.

Many valuable gifts are available only if we stay open to receive them. A wise man grows past our society’s mainstream idea that anything worth having requires hard work. The ultimate truth is that God’s grace provides what we need. Our work is in learning how to let go and be receptive.

Today, I will open myself to the gifts already in my hands.

Today's reading is from the book Stepping Stones: More Daily Meditations for Men*