How fortunate I am to have been raised by loving parents. Although not perfect (for who in human form is?), my parents set many fine examples of how to be in this world. They encouraged–more importantly practiced–honesty, caring, generosity, and industriousness. One of their powerful examples was that of saying grace before eating our meals. As a child, with head bowed and eyes closed, I most likely believed that they were uttering words to a non-existent God that was floating somewhere off in the clouds. I’m thankful that I now know better.
From the human perspective that is often conditioned by the “materialist” paradigm of reality and innocently ignorant of our deeper nature, saying grace to a God that we cannot see may seem ludicrous. To many persons it does. When we glimpse life on a deeper level, however, we may be at least tempted to say “thank you” for the bounty before us. When we become still, we realize that something profound is occurring below the surface-level appearance of things. Let’s use that slice of bread in our hand, as an example:
Humankind may say, “But ‘i’ make that bread; it is ‘i’ that do the work.” On the surface level of reality, that certainly appears so. It also appears to be humans who till the soil, plant the seeds, harvest the crops, own the bakeries, load the ovens, and ship the baked product to various stores owned by humans. But can even one of those humans actually grow wheat? Do we orchestrate that miracle–or any of the other countless miracles that occurs in the eternal NOW? To understand this more deeply, we can turn to a passage of scripture that holds great meaning. It is from Acts 17:28:
“For in him we live, and move, and have our being;
as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.”
I now know that whether I realized it or not, God was always at my table (wherever “i” was), in all ways. God was, and IS, the very table itself. God is the bread, the butter, and all of the bounty–however simple in appearance–upon our table. God was my mother, my father, my sisters, and “i,” who were so fortunate to have food to eat. God was also the knowing of one another; for without God (Consciousness) how could any degree of abundance been known? Grace? Yes, I still say it, although apparently living on my own. My grateful heart has so much for which to give thanks–the Greatest of which is God. God is always welcome and acknowledged at my table. After all, it is His, and so am I.
Dare to dream (and care for one another).
With heartfelt regards,
Art
Copyright © – 2022 – R. Arthur Russell
***
If you enjoyed this article (originally published in 2021), you can find more of my writing at my personal blog at https://think2wice.me/. My YouTube videos may be found through this link. May the content of either or both help you along your spiritual journey.
What wonderful reminder that there is nothing for which I should not be thankful. I cannot imagine anything that did not come to me through the effort and ingenuity of another—the plumber who installed the faucet that turns on the water, the electrician who wired the switch that lights up the room, the trucker who brought the chair in which I sit, and the grocer who manages the store where I buy food grown by a farmer. Survival is made possible in cooperation with others, and in truth, there are no others. Only us. And God. Thank you Art.
Hi Julia,
Thank you for your kind words about my post! I’m smiling as I read your lovely comment, about all that we have for which to be grateful. I love this in particular: “In truth, there are no others.” YES!
Thank you for taking the time to comment! 🙏🧡
Beautiful post. Thank you for this
Hello Maria,
Thank you so much! I appreciate your taking the time to comment!