Today, in advance of Thanksgiving Day—a tradition celebrated in much of North America on the fourth Thursday in November—Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj spoke about gratitude. On Thanksgiving Day, we give thanks for all the blessings in our lives. Despite the ups and downs we may experience, there are many aspects of life for which we can be grateful. Yet, he said, there is one gift that reigns above all others. It eclipses all the material gifts of this world in bringing us happiness and joy. It is the gift of love.
When we love someone, we give them the gift of our love. To love someone is to care for their well-being, bring solace and comfort when they are in need, and alleviate their pain and suffering. This gift of love that we give others not only brings happiness to their lives, but the love we give comes back in our direction. “To love is to be loved forever,” said the spiritual Master.
This love that we give others is but a reflection of the love we receive from God—the Source of all love. To give love, we need first to experience God’s love. This experience happens as we take our attention away from the outer world and focus it on the spiritual worlds within where God resides. This process of inverting our attention is called meditation. As we embark on the inner spiritual journey to connect with God’s love and light, we experience the beauty and bliss of divine love. The further we go within, the more love we experience.
As we connect with God’s love, we become transmitting towers of love, radiating this love to everyone in our orbit. And the more love we distribute, the more love we get back in return. It all begins by taking the first step to connect with God’s love through meditation. On this Thanksgiving Day, let us be grateful, Sant Rajinder Singh Ji said, for the gift of God’s love and for the ability to experience this love for ourselves.
