The Four Pillars of Prosperity – The Fourth Pillar, Part 2
DELIGHT
Last week, we looked at the power of living from a sense of Delight in all you have. This week, we focus on the second part of our Delight formula:
Delight in all that you give:
The first and simplest way to become aware of delighting in how you give is to look at how you give things to others. Do you give because you feel you have to, or because it is expected? Just because it is someone’s birthday, or a special holiday, you may find yourself feeling compelled to run to the store, grab the first thing that flies off the shelf at you, have the store wrap it up, and then either drop it in the mail or hand deliver it, with a sense of relief that it is taken care of!
While that takes care of the required social need, how is it feeling from a spiritual abundance point of view? This week, begin to take delight in all you give! When it is time to give a gift to someone, really put some thought into what they would enjoy receiving. It is not the cost that is important; it is the thought behind the gift that makes it special. Savor the inner joy in finding just the right thing, and preparing the gift in a special way. And enjoy the giving as well.
For example, we were unable to visit our family this past year for Christmas, and had to send our gifts. But we all got on the phone together on Christmas day, and opened each other’s gifts during the call! We got to share our joy in both the giving and receiving by making the time special.
Not just things we give to others – but also be aware of other ways you give … and notice if you are giving gratefully: words; expressions; help; comfort; time.
(Our visitors — 10 of us at dinner, ranging from age 17 months to 89 years old — everyone gave their time, joyfully, to come together as family and friends, and what a joyful evening we all had!)
But let’s amp this up a few levels! It is not just delighting in the things you give to others. Let’s also be aware of the other ways you give … and notice if you are giving gratefully: For example, when you give words; expressions; help; comfort; time – are you giving from a place of delight? Become aware of how you are feeling as you give of yourself.
One of our favorite activities is to practice a phrase shift. Every time you catch yourself saying “I have to…” simply rephrase it to say “I get to…” Notice the difference in how you feel! For example, instead of saying “I have to take my mother grocery shopping today” try saying “I get to take my mother grocery shopping today!” Do you catch the difference?
And don’t forget about your attitude as you give money to pay bills and purchase things. Give joyfully! We write “Gladly” on our checks, right above the words “Pay to the order of…” It helps us experience a sense of joy as we send our money out into the world. By allowing a sense of joy to flow through us, we can send that joy out to others through our words and actions.
Enrich your prosperity and all those whose lives you touch by practicing this second phase of our fourth pillar of prosperity: Delight.
Next week we end the Pillars of Prosperity series with the third part of our fourth pillar!
Related posts:
- The Four Pillars of Prosperity – The Fourth Pillar, Part 1
- The Four Pillars of Prosperity – The First Pillar, Part 1
- The Four Pillars of Prosperity – The First Pillar, Part 2
- The Four Pillars of Prosperity – The First Pillar, Part 3
- The Four Pillars of Prosperity – The Second Pillar, Part 3
Filed under: Spiritual Growth
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Thanks for this, Bil and Cher! Writing ‘gladly’ over the ‘pay to the order of’ on checks reminds of something Rev. Terrence Padgett introduced us to in a class about 3 years ago, studing Spiritual Prosperity (Rev. Butterworth). This was to write ‘T.Y.G.’ on each check written …. stands for ‘Thank You God.’