By Elliott Robertson
To be fervent in your heart, keep your heart single. . . . In this fervent and sincere heart to God, the things of God are received, the love of God is received in the heart.—George Fox
In my youth I failed to appreciate the power of appreciation. I’m sure this was partly due to the fact that the term is generally used in its shallowest sense. “I would appreciate it if you would do such and such,” doesn’t carry the depth hidden in the action of appreciating nor does it point to the heart, where true appreciation resides.
Now that I’m in my 40s, the subtle life-changing power this quality embodies is becoming evident to me.
To gain a better understanding of the nature of appreciation, I’ve found myself looking to the parable of the Prodigal Son, a parable I so often turn to when reflecting on a spiritual quality or a universal truth. When reflecting on the brother’s jealous response to the festivities in celebration of the prodigal son’s return, I found myself wondering if this moment would have been radically different had the brother regarded his world through appreciative eyes and the prodigal son’s return with an appreciative, grateful heart. Surely he would have automatically shown up for the banquet of life in a spirit of celebration. No thinking required, no quagmires to traverse.
The parable has inspired a few “What if?” questions that I share with you here:
What if appreciation is a mighty key for nonresistance? What if it is a mighty key for opening the heart?
What if appreciation evaporates our need to complain to God about life being unfair, especially when the Divine Plan doesn’t seem to match our tribal, human sense of justice? (This question is probably more applicable to Job; the question takes appreciation to a whole other level.)
What if appreciation—which sometimes requires looking for the good in chaos or negativity and then saying a word of thanks even if we have trouble finding the hidden value—facilitates our journey toward spiritual maturity, acceptance of our fate, and our ability to transform our fate into our destiny by surrendering all things to God?
What if practicing appreciation strengthens our capacity to see God’s hand at work in our lives, especially in the chaotic dark places?
What if there is no room for the ego when one is appreciating how all things are working together for good in one’s life? What if pure appreciation removes judgment and comparison, the ego’s oxygen? (Isn’t it the ego that keeps us from the banquet table of life?)
What if appreciation reminds us that vengeance is unnecessary? What if it aligns our whole being with the soul and thereby makes it easier for us to dialogue with the soul and listen to what the soul wants? (If you ask the soul if it wants vengeance, the answer will always be “no.”)
One of George Fox’s tracts reads, “For the first step of peace is to stand still in the light . . . . Here grace grows, here is God alone glorified and exalted, and the unknown truth—unknown to the world—made manifest; [this] draws up that which lies in the prison, and refreshes it in time, up to God, out of time, through time.”
George Fox doesn’t explicitly address appreciation here, but he does point to the power of silence and reflection to bring us to an un-imprisoned vision and stature of the soul, and it is from this vision and this stature that we most readily experience appreciation and thanksgiving.
Some would say that appreciation and gratitude are always living in the deepest, most authentic layers of our heart, so of course it follows that standing still in the Light reconnects us with appreciation just as it reconnects us with who we are.
The weeks and months ahead of us may very well include turmoil for so many people. Appreciating each person, each moment, each gift, and each challenge could be a mighty key to keeping our sanity when appearances look grim. Coupled with a humble willingness to trust that God’s love fills every need, appreciation can help us catapult us through the winds of distress to the eye of any storm.
Elliott Robertson is an attender of Arch Street Meeting in Philadelphia, Pa.
To be fervent in your heart, keep your heart single. . . . In this fervent and sincere heart to God, the things of God are received, the love of God is received in the heart.—George Fox
In my youth I failed to appreciate the power of appreciation. I’m sure this was partly due to the fact that the term is generally used in its shallowest sense. “I would appreciate it if you would do such and such,” doesn’t carry the depth hidden in the action of appreciating nor does it point to the heart, where true appreciation resides.
Now that I’m in my 40s, the subtle life-changing power this quality embodies is becoming evident to me.
To gain a better understanding of the nature of appreciation, I’ve found myself looking to the parable of the Prodigal Son, a parable I so often turn to when reflecting on a spiritual quality or a universal truth. When reflecting on the brother’s jealous response to the festivities in celebration of the prodigal son’s return, I found myself wondering if this moment would have been radically different had the brother regarded his world through appreciative eyes and the prodigal son’s return with an appreciative, grateful heart. Surely he would have automatically shown up for the banquet of life in a spirit of celebration. No thinking required, no quagmires to traverse.
The parable has inspired a few “What if?” questions that I share with you here:
What if appreciation is a mighty key for nonresistance? What if it is a mighty key for opening the heart?
What if appreciation evaporates our need to complain to God about life being unfair, especially when the Divine Plan doesn’t seem to match our tribal, human sense of justice? (This question is probably more applicable to Job; the question takes appreciation to a whole other level.)
What if appreciation—which sometimes requires looking for the good in chaos or negativity and then saying a word of thanks even if we have trouble finding the hidden value—facilitates our journey toward spiritual maturity, acceptance of our fate, and our ability to transform our fate into our destiny by surrendering all things to God?
What if practicing appreciation strengthens our capacity to see God’s hand at work in our lives, especially in the chaotic dark places?
What if there is no room for the ego when one is appreciating how all things are working together for good in one’s life? What if pure appreciation removes judgment and comparison, the ego’s oxygen? (Isn’t it the ego that keeps us from the banquet table of life?)
What if appreciation reminds us that vengeance is unnecessary? What if it aligns our whole being with the soul and thereby makes it easier for us to dialogue with the soul and listen to what the soul wants? (If you ask the soul if it wants vengeance, the answer will always be “no.”)
One of George Fox’s tracts reads, “For the first step of peace is to stand still in the light . . . . Here grace grows, here is God alone glorified and exalted, and the unknown truth—unknown to the world—made manifest; [this] draws up that which lies in the prison, and refreshes it in time, up to God, out of time, through time.”
George Fox doesn’t explicitly address appreciation here, but he does point to the power of silence and reflection to bring us to an un-imprisoned vision and stature of the soul, and it is from this vision and this stature that we most readily experience appreciation and thanksgiving.
Some would say that appreciation and gratitude are always living in the deepest, most authentic layers of our heart, so of course it follows that standing still in the Light reconnects us with appreciation just as it reconnects us with who we are.
The weeks and months ahead of us may very well include turmoil for so many people. Appreciating each person, each moment, each gift, and each challenge could be a mighty key to keeping our sanity when appearances look grim. Coupled with a humble willingness to trust that God’s love fills every need, appreciation can help us catapult us through the winds of distress to the eye of any storm.
Elliott Robertson is an attender of Arch Street Meeting in Philadelphia, Pa.
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