By Rena Greenberg
The mundane can be transformed into the miraculous when you invite the Spirit of Service into your daily life.
What if everything you did—whether it be paying a bill, washing your face, managing a client’s needs, or clearing the dishes off the counter—was regarded as an act of service?
That sounds pretty far fetched, doesn’t it? And yet, when you stop to think about it, the mundane can be transformed into the miraculous when you invite the Spirit of Service into your daily life.
So often, when I think of service what comes to mind is doing for another person or organization. When your plate is already full, that can be a challenge, especially around the holidays.
One of my clients, Julie, confided in me that she often avoided joining an organization or going to an event that she might otherwise have enjoyed simply because she knew that she would be asked to give something—most likely her time—to the cause. It’s not that she didn’t want to be generous, but her life was already very full. I could really relate to what she was saying.
And yet, at the same time, as busy as life may feel, each of us is seeking connection, either consciously or subconsciously. When the longing is subconscious, we may try to fill the void by reaching for something that is ultimately not going to be very satisfying, such as a harmful food, drink, substance, or running up the credit card.
When the seeking is conscious, there can be a keen awareness of an ache in the heart—a loneliness that can only be filled by that which is beyond the physical. Yet, living in the physical world, it can be challenging to take time out of your daily schedule to form a deep and satisfying relationship with the Divine.
We know that meditation is a good idea, and we’ve certainly heard about the multitude of benefits gained from adopting a regular meditation or prayer practice. However, in reality, the business of life often takes over. Between shopping, cleaning, taking care of others, making a living, and tending to friends and family, as well as managing our basic self-care needs, it may feel as if there’s little time for anything else.
Sure, you might be able to squeeze in a yoga class, a hypnosis session, or a group meditation, but it can be challenging to allow the Divine to infiltrate your life and your consciousness completely. In fact, that aspiration may seem totally out of the question.
But what if you didn’t have to go to an ashram, a forest or even a mosque, church, or synagogue to reach a conscious, nourishing relationship with the Divine? What if you could simply change only one thing and get exactly what you are seeking? What if that one thing was so simple and you had complete control over it? The good news is that the answer is absolutely within your reach. It is simply your intention.
That’s right, it’s shifting your intention to one of Service, so that everything you say and do is not necessarily for the one standing in front of you, but rather it is for The One.
That could be the One Love, One God, One Breath, All-That-Is or One Life . . . it doesn’t matter how you name it. All that matters is that you activate your connection with it by setting your intention to live your life for that higher purpose.
Just that simple shift can completely change your experience from one of loneliness, boredom, frustration, or overwhelm to one of peace, joy, contentment, gratitude, awe, and humility.
Here’s an example. If you are feeling lonely, it’s likely that you are running a mental movie of experiences you are having now, or that you’ve had in the past that left you feeling criticized, misunderstood, or unloved.
When this inner DVD is playing, it’s likely that your demeanor becomes closed off and withdrawn. You may or may not have conscious awareness of this fact. However, the result may be that you are isolating yourself or turning off the people around you. Even if you become conscious of your own energy, it can be challenging to change it, even if you realize that would be best to do so.
What if, even though you are feeling this inner constriction, you were able to breathe into your heart center, the space in the middle of your chest, where love occurs, and remember that therein lies your deep Spirit—beyond the thoughts, feelings, and energies of the physical.
And with that awareness, imagine that your very next thought or action was fed by the knowledge that we are all breathing the same air, that the feelings you have are feelings that everyone shares at one time or another.
Imagine if you could look at the person across the room, whom you may have no personal connection with, and remember that he or she also loves someone, whether it be a parent or child, just as you have felt such love. That love is the same for both of you, even if the timing of the love and the object of affection are different. That awareness can close the gap you feel between yourself and another.
Imagine interacting with others as an extension of the Divine, a channel to share its love and light to yourself and others? I do not mean by preaching because nothing will turn people off faster. In fact, silence is so much more profound that chattering on about your supernatural experiences. Rather, the relationship with Spirit that you are cultivating through your intention to serve is something personal for you to grow and cherish in your own heart.
Imagine tending to even the most mundane act, such as getting gas for your car, paying a bill, disputing a charge on your credit card statement or checking out your groceries in the supermarket, with a sense of graciousness—as if it were an act of service to either humankind or your Higher Self.
What if you began to experience all that you think, say, and do as part of the Divine plan that contributes to life on this planet? And imagine that you can begin to look at others in the same way. Each one is doing his or her part, and together we are making society possible.
One person is not more valuable than another because the contrast of one makes you appreciate the other, and so all are necessary.
Sure, we are making mistakes, collectively and individually. But it’s incredible how each of us also has the opportunity to make things better for ourselves and others.
Rather than cultivating frustration over disappointments in the physical world, imagine if every experience was seen as an opportunity to serve. The service could simply be awakening an inner acceptance as a way to model this valuable resource for others who also may be experiencing challenge.
Service is a doorway to uplifting your own consciousness. Yes, it’s wonderful if you can build a school in Africa, walk for muscular dystrophy, or participate in building a Habitat for Humanity home. However, you don’t have to wait for these types of special opportunities.
Within the next 5 minutes, you have the chance to transform whatever is in front of you right now into an act of service by remembering the value that you may be offering someone else, either energetically by shifting your own energy and radiating it out to them with a kind thought, or by physically imparting a word, act, or gesture that may transform and uplift.
You don’t have to wait for someone in your life to “deserve” your kind attention. In the realm of the Divine, all that exists is showered in the Spirit of Service.
Rena Greenberg, a Hay House author, can be reached at EasyWillpower.com. Her weight loss and gastric bypass hypnosis success has been featured in 150-plus news stories including USA Today, Woman’s World, The Doctor’s, CNN, Good Morning America and Nightline. PBS stationsnationally aired Rena’s show, “Easy Willpower,” in August 2015. Her wellness program is sponsored in 75 hospitals and 100-plus corporations. She conducts hypnotherapy sessions with people all over the world on Skype.