Day 7 - Obstacles to Grace Melt Away

I am still learning how to connect gratitude and grace through this 21-day meditation experience. What I have learned is that shifts towards grace open up from a place of gratitude. It is not uncommon for obstacles to show up during personal growth. Obstacles many times are messages from the Universe. I have to remind myself that when I start to feel struggle from life’s obstacles, it is time to pause. I can choose how I react to the obstacles. Do I react as a negative or as an opportunity to know that all will be well? There is always a blessing in every issue.

Obstacles are not my enemy. They are signals from my true self to look at the situation differently. When obstacles show up, many times I allow inner resistance to getting in the way of my gratitude. Looking at life’s dark side was taught to me by my family. I grew up hearing nothing except negative. Over time, these pessimistic beliefs became “normal.” When those old thought patterns show up for me, I can’t see or feel gratitude. My family never taught me to be grateful for anything. I was only taught to be what my father called a realist. Learning to shift my perception has helped make room for optimism to start in my life. This is where I am today. Learning to not resist opens me up to receive grace.

One thing I struggle with that I am sure we can all relate to is stress. Stress from everyday life. Things don’t always go the way I plan or things show up in my life that I wasn’t expecting. I know I shouldn’t let it, but I allow it to stress me out. Through meditation, being with my horses, and learning the art of gratitude, it puts me in the present moment. I believe we can’t hear it enough, “When you are in the present moment, nothing else matters!” The past no longer exists, therefore, the past does not matter. The only thing we have control over is the here and now. As I learn to do this, I start to feel the joy of my true self and that feels good.

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