Power of Gratitude – Opportunity

December 6, 2000

• The common man is oblivious of what the government does to him. He is more so about what the society does to him.
• Man is unconscious where he should be grateful to the government and the society for hundreds of things.
• The devotee is equally unaware of the gratitude he owes Mother for a variety of things since he came to Her and particularly the protection She has made ever-present around him in view of the changed circumstances.
• Since he came to Her, his situation is elevated and therefore needed protection of which his social and personal situations are incapable. She has made it invisibly present around him forever.
• Had he been aware of it and had he felt a genuine gratitude towards Her, the incoming grace that now expended itself in offering him protection would have turned itself into opportunities.
• Such opportunities are spiritual, mental, social and material.
• Man is neither aware of the danger he was in nor the force that protected him, nor the missing gratitude.
• How then was he to know of the various opportunities he missed?
• When he witnesses opportunities are missing, are not maturing or the expected results are not forthcoming, he attributes them to various causes: betrayal of friends, unfaithful colleagues, power cut, unfriendly labour, absence of timely credit, jealousy of others, etc. but it never strikes him that his own ingratitude has absorbed all the grace as it was providing him protection, physical and vital. So, there was not enough grace to mature his chances into expected results.
• But there are those who are grateful and whose opportunities grow into results. It does not go beyond a certain point for them too. It is because, after a certain level they too level off in another fashion.
• Gratitude is opportunities. Continued gratitude is increasing opportunities.