We all know this: Our heart holds the key to life. So why do we continually go looking for answers everywhere else except in our heart?

Well, on one level we are afraid of our heart, because it’s so completely different to the realm of our mind and thoughts, where we spend so much of our time. We are so familiar, comfortable and secure with our mind’s reality – even if it disturbs us sometimes – that we keep going back to it. It’s knowable and predictable and this is why it brings us a sense of security. We feel more in control when we’re in our mind.

The heart, however, requires us to let go of control and surrender to Love; to trust it and willingly go wherever it wants to take us.

Love will care for us, nourish us and protect us, and as long as we stay close to it we will feel at peace, safe and even joyful. But there is one thing that is required of us in return… that we let go of everything we think we know.

Knowledge is addictive. Some people devote their entire lives to the pursuit of it. But don’t do this! Pursue Love and go where it wants to take you. Learn to let go and trust it, because very quickly you’ll realise that when you follow Love’s guidance, good things happen. And as you spend less time in your mind thinking, and more time in your heart feeling, you will realise that life is meant to be lived in gratitude. Gratitude is what keeps you connected to the reality of Love.

Gratitude is not just a way to have a nice feeling for a while – it’s the way to live your entire life. It’s the way of interacting with life that keeps you firmly rooted in the heart’s divine reality. Gratitude anchors us there, so even when the storms of life blow we remain connected to the goodness of Love.

Gratitude is the only prayer you really need in life, so get in the habit of saying “Thank you” throughout your day… for all the small things, all the simple things that most of us take for granted.

The more things you can say ‘Thank you’ for during your day, the stronger grows the feeling of gratitude in your heart. And it become an automatic habit of your mind to focus on the positive aspects of life. This is a very intelligent thing to do!

Learn to also be thankful for all the challenges that come into your life because you need them to grow, to become stronger and to improve your character. We all know we can be more tolerant, more forgiving and more loving than we are at present. We know there is room for our heart to grow, and it does this through the challenges life brings us.

Throughout our life we are constantly challenged to let go of negative emotions, to forgive people who have upset us, to trust that there is no need to worry and be afraid.

Such challenges are like rungs on a ladder, and if we succeed in letting go of the anger when we really feel like arguing with someone…. if we succeed in forgiving someone when we really feel like hurting them…. if we succeed in relaxing and trusting that all will be well when we really feel like having a nervous breakdown or a panic attack… we move up the ladder – away from the darkness and towards the light.

Every time we succeed in seemingly small things like this, our heart grows stronger and freer. This is why we need to be challenged, and why life brings us challenging people and situations. The more challenging the situation, the more growth will occur when we rise to the challenge and find the strength of character to navigate it in the wisest way, which is always calmly and lovingly.

Because everything is working for you, not against you. So when you start trusting this is true and looking at life through a lens of gratitude, your heart will be more at ease. Worry and fear will slowly start to lose their grip on you, and every day you will notice a greater sense of peace growing within in you.

Trust that it is safe to let go of being in control, and instead ask Love to take full control of the steering wheel. It can only do this when you let go, so practice letting go and trusting that all will be well. Love will never let you down, I promise you.

~Live in gratitude
http://AlexanderBell.org