Mary Hanson
Mar 17, 2023
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Sometimes the biggest lesson is the simplest one. Have you noticed that?
One big-but-simple lesson came from a man who spoke regularly at Unity of Springfield.
“Awareness plus gratitude equals change,” he said.
This man's personal personal journey was far from simple. So when I heard him say this, I took notice.
It was the word "change" that grabbed me. Those of us on the spiritual path often feel a need for change, especially in ourselves. And that need is a clue. It suggests a kind of grasping, to use Buddhist terminology. And in that grasping for change, we read and study and pray and reflect. It can feel like a lot of work sometimes.
This approach sounds so much simpler.
Can it really be that simple? Yes! Awareness and gratitude make for a very powerful partnership. They can bring about a subtle internal change. That internal change allows external change to evolve quite naturally.
That doesn’t mean we don’t need a practice. As Unity author Robert Brumet puts it, "To understand and believe a spiritual truth is a good start but it is not enough to transform one’s consciousness. Transformation occurs only through some form of spiritual practice.”
What kind of practice? The kind that works for you. It doesn’t have to be complicated, or feel like a chore, or cost money. But it does have to be consistently applied if you want real change to result.
Your practice might include prayer or meditation, reading or listening to spiritual messages, using phone apps, posting inspirational notes where you can see them – anything that you can stick with.
If you don’t know where to start, start here: Practice awareness. Practice gratitude. Focus on them, feel them, and believe in their power. Then let go of the need for a specific result. Repeat.
-Mary Hanson
Licensed Unity Teacher (LUT), Unity Spiritual Center of Springfield