Spiritual Solutions

The key to Thanksgiving is the greatness that is within us.  When we are grateful, we are full of greatness, and we relate to life at the highest level of our being. We think good thoughts about our circumstances and people. 

On the evening news a couple of days ago there was story of a farmer in a small town in Indiana. He had been weakened by a serious illness and the subsequent chemotherapy and radiation treatments, so much so that he was not able to operate the equipment he needed to harvest his crop of corn. 

The story told how a group of neighboring farmers came together in their desire to help the farmer in his distress.   Even before they harvested their own crops, to the utter amazement of the farmer who had been unable to do it himself, they used their own machines to harvest their neighbor’s corn for him. 

One of the farmers was asked about his involvement in this project and why he took part in it. With a smile he responded that he didn’t want to be left out, he wanted to be in the loop along with those who wanted to help their neighbor. 

The story reminds me that the Hebrew word for thanksgiving also means “a stretching forth of open hands.” In this consciousness our question of “What do we have to be thankful for this Thanksgiving?” becomes instead “What do we have to be thankful from?” And the “give” in Thanks-giving takes on the more important role. 

This way of thinking about Thanksgiving can open the way for a dynamic experience for you. Practice it this Thanksgiving, and you will experience a release of tremendous power.  

Look away from the challenges and the needs whatever they may be, even from the obvious blessings of life, and make your inner contact with the creative process of Spirit. Then stretch forth your hands in a giving consciousness. Let your mind think God thoughts, good thoughts, and positive thoughts.  Rather than look about and wondering what you have to give thanks for, you will rejoice in what you have to give thanks from, and you will give it freely and lovingly. 

So the true Thanksgiving experience which any one of us can have should be a day of forgiveness, a day of praise, and a day of giving ourselves to others. 

The following podcast is a recording of a message I gave on Thanksgiving Day in 1998. I think you may find something of value in it, so if you would like to listen to it turn up the sound on your computer and just click on the “play now” button. Or download it to your computer if you wish.

Play Now:

 Thanksgiving [31:52m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

The power of small moments and small victories has become especially apparent to me in these last few weeks since my wife, Kathryn, had a really bad fall that left her with a huge hematoma on her left temple, severe headaches, and some swelling on the brain which resulted in communication difficulties.

I’ve watched the bruises fade on her face and neck and seen the big egg on her temple go down, but what is really remarkable to me is to witnesss the small moments when she overcomes some speech difficulty, or laughs at the words that come out in spite of what she intended, or when she made it to the bathroom on her own for the first tiime with the help of her walker, or when she made it all the way out of the house and into the car to go to a doctor appointment.

These small moments and small victories reflect the power of acting in faith, and collectively they add up to real progress and achievement day by day.

Watching Kathryn’s progress in the healing process reminded me of a message with the title “Small Potatoes are the Tastiest” which I gave at a Sunday service a few years ago. In that talk I focused on the power of small moments to bring about great changes in life, and how Jesus pointed out the importance of the seemingly insignificant and its relation to the Kingdom of Heaven and how we experience it.

You might find the podcast of this message to be a powerful reminder for you of the importance of small moments in your own life. I invite you to listen to it by clicking on the “play now” button for the audio below, or you can download it to your computer or MP3 player if you choose.

As I listened to that message again, it gave me pause to think how I might pay more attention to those small, seemingly insignificant moments as we approach Thanksgiving and how I may bring even more meaning to it. So give thanks for each small moment you become aware of and which touches your heart in a special way. In this way you can make each day a Thanksgiving Day.

Play Now:

 The Power of Small Moments [30:10m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

“The light of God surrounds me;

The love of God enfolds me;

The power of God protects me;

The presence of God watches over me.”

Wherever I am, God is!” 

The Prayer for Protection was written by James Dillet Freeman, the “poet laureate” of the Unity movement and director of Silent Unity, the prayer ministry of the Unity movement, for many years. 

Originally, he wrote it in response to many requests for a prayer for protection for members of the armed forces during World War II. Since then, it has become a popular prayer used in most Unity churches and by many individuals who may never have even heard of the Unity movement. 

The Prayer for Protection is one of only two poems that were taken to the moon and left there by two different astronauts; the other poem is also one by James Dillet Freeman, titled “I Am There.” 

The Prayer for Protection can be used for yourself or for others; saying it for others you simply say it with the pronoun “you” instead of “me.” Very often, in Unity churches especially, people will add at the end of the prayer the words “And all is well!” You can use this simple but powerful prayer for yourself and others every day. 

In the daily devotional “Daily Word,” published by Unity, there is an inspirational article this month with the title “A Foundation of Faith” which tells how Robin Roberts, co-anchor of “Good Morning America, has used the Prayer of Protection throughout her life to strengthen her faith. If you click on the “Daily Word” image in the left column of this page, you can read today’s message and on the right you’ll see an image of Robin Roberts and a clickable link to the article.

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Rev. Alan Rowbotham invites you to forward this prayer to a friend today.

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