“Be content with what you have; rejoice in the way things are. When you realize there is nothing lacking,

the whole world belongs to you. Lao Tzu

As a new Science of Mind student, I would passionately pray my spiritual mind treatment. Immediately I would speculate how my prayer was going to be answered. My prayers were usually about money since I believed that there wasn’t enough to go around. I would wait for the mail to show up only to find an empty mailbox. I would check to see if any clients called with potential business, but no one called.

When I complained to my practitioner, she reminded that it was none of my business where or how my good will appear. She said, “If you continue to look for it, you haven’t developed your faith.”

I discovered there are three steps to building faith: Hope, trust and gratitude. Hope is a sense of doubtful expectation. We hope something good will happen to us but underneath,  doubt and fears linger. Those doubts and fears produce a type of anxiety called waiting. 

As we release the doubts and fears, we begin to develop trust. We have a deeper conviction in the creative process of life and develop greater patience. The stress of waiting is replaced by patience and a sense of calmness that all is well.

Here was the important part for me: not to look for the demonstration of good but to give thanks that it was already done. Gratitude is the expansiveness of faith.

I learned it was none of my business how my prayer would be demonstrated but I now give thanks that it is already received. Lesson learned. 

Affirmation: I give thanks that what I desire is already received.