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How much do you love your life? On a scale from 1 to 10, how would you rate it? Whatever your initial scores; there’s an abundance of beauty and glory in your life if you know how to look.

Revealing Experience

I remember hearing a man share a revealing experience. He started talking with a woman he didn’t know on a plane, asking her about her life. She complained to him that her life was a disaster and that nothing was going right. He asked her, “On a scale from 1-10 how would you rate your life? “ She said, “ a 2.”   He then felt to ask her: “Why so high? If your life is so bad, why didn’t you say 0?”

She was taken aback a bit, but responded that she had a son that she really loved. So even with all her horrific experience, she had “proof” that she had “wonderful” in her life. She began to see her life in a new and higher way.

Look For the Proof

What proof do you have that your life is blessed? Finding proof is the key to loving your life. EVERY life has proof! You may have debilitating challenges or feel like there’s nothing to live for, but WAIT! There’s a very thought-provoking spiritual principal that can change your outlook. It is this: “Whatever you focus on EXPANDS”!

Our focus actually determines our reality. Whenever we can find a positive “proof,” we increase our ABILITY to feel good about our lives.

Russell M. Nelson echoed this when he said:

“My dear brothers and sisters, the joy we feel has little to do with the circumstances of our lives and everything to do with the focus of our lives. (Russell M. Nelson, General Conference Oct. 2016)

PROOF EITHER WAY

Look for substantiation of your excellent life:
Look for it in your relationships, (who do you love?)
Look for it in your body (what does it allow you to do?)
What possessions, foods, or pets bring you joy?
Think about the many times the Lord has “intervened” in your life.

If you need more proof, look outside your immediate orbit. Focus on the ants; the birds; the shimmer in the leaves or on the water. Nature also gives us extensive proof that our lives are beautiful.

As we begin this constructive thought process, an amazing thing happens. Each time we find yet another piece of positive evidence for our wonderful lives, the lighter, more optimistic and buoyant we feel. The more we look for the good, the more we will find.

On the Other Hand,

We can choose to find proof that our life is bad, even dreadful.   Each piece of evidence (that we can easily find) will make us feel heavier and darker, (even if it’s true – ESPECIALLY if it’s true). It seems that it’s always easier to find the negative. When that negative gravity takes hold, it thrusts us into darkness and confusion.

Intentional Interpreting

God designed us to expand outward and upward. Our interpretation of events can make all the difference in the direction we choose.

M. Catherine Thomas profoundly taught:

“It is how we interpret what is happening to us that either liberates us or imprisons us. If we interpret what is happening as something that should not be happening, and we can’t change it, then we will suffer. If we can accept that-which-cannot-be-changed as a reflection of what God would have unfold, then we can have peace” (M. Catherine Thomas, “Light In the wilderness” p.24).

We can receive peace in most circumstances when we look for proof of beautiful or good in our lives and when we look for this evidence, we will ALWAYS find it!

The Gifts of Rising                                                                                                            

As we concentrate on moving forward and upward, we begin to perceive rewards and endowments coming to us that we never realized could come. At times we feel engulfed in a spiritual embrace or an aha moment, and we realize this thing we went through was FOR us. The more we learn from these spiritual cliffs, the more we can help others.

Jacques Lusseyran, a Frenchman, had a very difficult life. He was blinded when he was seven years old, as well as surviving the Buchenwald Nazi prison camp. He had a unique perspective on how to help others comprehend and appreciate their wonderful lives. He said:

“One should not try to console either those who lost their eyes, or those who have suffered other losses—of money, health, or a loved one. It is necessary instead to show them what their loss brings them, to show them the gifts they receive in place of what they have lost. Because there are always gifts. God wills it so. Order is restored; nothing ever disappears completely… (Selected Writings of Jacques Lusseyran, 2002,p. 29)

These “ God Gifts” help us feel the resonance of God. They open our souls, where we become closer to reverberating His mind and heart.

Becoming GLORIOUS

The Lord teaches us:

“…he who receiveth all things with thankfulness shall be made glorious; and the things of this earth shall be added unto him, even an hundred fold, yea, more.” (D & C 78:19)

The Lord is actually telling us that when we can believe that all we are living and experiencing is a gift,(no matter what that is), and if we learn to FEEL and internalize this, we will become glorious. What a promise! A Glorious promise, because thankfulness ties us into the Glory of God. It’s one of life’s magnificent WONDERS.

The Mystery of Life

When we RESONATE THANKFULNESS to the Lord for ALL of these Gifts and blessings (Even those which don’t feel like it at the time), we tie into profound spiritual awareness. M. Catherine Thomas continues:

“If you wish to feel the most penetrating power of the Spirit, try the experiment of giving thanks in the moment of disappointment, of tragedy, of the specter of ruin. When you are able to do it consistently, you will feel as though you have discovered and united with the mystery of life.” (M. Catherine Thomas, Light in the Wilderness p. 33)

This “mystery” is exactly what God wants us to discover, because it shifts our perspective and helps us feel His presence.

Do you have proof that your life is Wonderful, Beautiful and Blessed?

Of COURSE, you do!  

So, even if you rated yourself only a 1 on the happiness scale, focus on that 1, and as you focus positively on it, other good things will come to your mind. It will then expand to 2, 3 and up. Keep going with this mental journey and you will grow lighter and lighter as the truth of your life opens up. You’ll begin to realize the gifts you have been given and you’ll start feeling the Glory and presence of God.

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