Spirituality Sunday - The Five Attitudes

This is a textual version of components from the July 26 Spirituality Sunday show. The full show is archived for your listening pleasure at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/PeterPocklington

Thank You to Krista Tippett and her staff whose “Speaking of Faith” program on National Public Radio is a cornucopia of spiritual wisdom.

Thank You to Parker Palmer, Krista’s guest on today’s program, who is a Quaker, and Author and an Educator and whose insights on the human and spiritual aspects of the times we are living through together gave me valuable food-for-thought.

By the way, this material is available for your listening pleasure at Speakingoffaith.publicradio.org

Thank you to Dr. Shari Lieberman, who departed this earthly life this week at the early age of 51 and whose life will continue to be a reminder to me that it’s not how many days you put into your life, it’s how much life you put into your days that counts.

I want also to send out a shout of encouragement to Eric Proffitt who will be setting off on August 1^st on a 25-day, five hundred mile run to raise awareness of the problem of human trafficking that is going on today.

You can learn more about how you can support this cause by visiting www.ericproffitt.com

Last but not least, I want to thank Neale Donald Walsch – whose book ‘Conversations with God’, to which you can find a link on today’s program website, inspired me to have deeper conversations of my own by adding dimensions I had not previously considered.

THE FIVE ATTITUDES

For today’s program I decided to reflect on what is described as the five attitudes of God as demonstrated in the feelings of being

• Joyful
• Loving
• Accepting
• Blessing, and
• Grateful.

It would seem logical that if these attitudes are Godly, which I believe them to be, the more highly developed they are in our awareness and our actions the better off we will be spiritually.

So let me offer some thoughts for your consideration.

Joyful:

I have been blessed in my life to experience joy in many forms:

The joy of sporting success

The joy of an “I do” from the person you love

The joy of experiencing the miracle of birth as first-hand as a father/grandfather can

The joy of shared friendships

Think of the words enjoyment, enjoyable. Think what gives you enjoyment. What do you consider enjoyable? Capture them in your mind’s eye. Tap into the energizing force these experiences give. I’m sure they are an expression of the God inside of you.

Love:

I recently came to the realization that “Where love exists rear cannot. The more I love the less I fear”. This started me on a road to self-examination.

Accepting:

How accepting am I?

When I accept a gift, do I acknowledge the giver and their graciousness?

When I am confronted with difficulties in life, do I accept these as the tools to a better understanding?

When I have disagreements do I accept the value of different perspectives to my own?

Blessing:

Here I think of the power of the two words “God Bless”.

Since we are all blessed in so many ways by what has been given us by God to craft into what we choose to make of our lives, that knowledge alone asks me to stay humble by remembering the source of all my blessings.

Grateful:

I have found that the more I am able to add the “Attitude of Gratitude” to my daily routine, the more I feel obliged to give back.

Is that what is meant by one of the many paradoxes in St. Francis of Assissi’s famous prayer

“For it is in giving that we receive

It is in pardoning that we are pardoned

And it is in dying that we’re born to Eternal Life”

I am grateful that we spent this time together

IN CONCLUSION

I hope that as you reflect on today’s program you will:

tap into more Joy – let’s live the song “Joy to the world, all the boys and girls, joy to the fishes in the deep blue sea, joy to you and me”

be more loving of yourself and others – love health, love wealth, love happiness, love love.

accept we are what we are, but not yet what we can become

understand the source of your blessings so that you can be a source of blessings to others.

And be grateful that you are what you are; to those who have helped you be what you have become; and to seize the opportunity to show your gratitude by being that somebody to that someone who needs you today.

For myself,

I am Peter Pocklington

I am a Good News Merchant

I am a purveyor of prosperity, and

I am my own personal guarantee.

Thank you, thank you, thank you for listening

Invest in yourself, YOU ARE SO WORTH IT.

GOD BLESS!