25 Days of Christ and Christmas - Benevolence (15)

We give of our heart’s rich overflow.

We give freely, or we do not truly give.

Benevolence means sharing our prosperity, our good will.

It means having an overflowing heart.

Benevolence is given to those in need.

Benevolence includes giving dignity to the one being served.

Practical benevolence lifts up the one receiving it, and it uplifts the giver as we see others gaining their own freedom to prosper.

Benevolence is encouragement at a dark time.

It is recognition that there is a future for you to build for yourself.

It is acknowledgement that everyone has the tools they need to thrive.

It contradicts circumstances.

It flies in the face of the obvious and finds alternative solutions.

Benevolence is innovative.

Benevolence gives comfort where there is pain so that the recipient can hear the path to freedom and prosperity.

Benevolence is a breath, which encourages more intake of inspiration and more action upon receiving it.

© 2016 Kathryn Hardage 

www.inspiredpractices.blogspot.com

25 Days of Christ and Christmas - Dedication (13)

What do you dedicate yourself to?

How do you spend your time?

What is most important to you?

The business of everyday can distract us from our deep purpose.

However, when we focus on our deep purpose and dedicate ourselves to it, our busy days run much more smoothly and harmoniously.

Dedicating ourselves to developing our spiritual individuality gives meaning and focus to our lives, and within it, our days.

In focusing on our higher purpose, we take a deep breath to listen inwardly for it.

As we sit quietly, a sense of calm and peace enters our being.

We feel this quiet dedication to something higher.

Taking the moments to breathe, sit quietly and focus opens us to the feeling we need to release our business.

Then, with that feeling in mind and throughout our being, our daily tasks get done.

 Steps toward our larger goal are clarified and begin to take place.

© 2016 Kathryn Hardage

www.InspiredPractices.com

25 Days of Christ and Christmas - Spirituality (12)

What is the enduring message of the Christ and how do we acknowledge it and celebrate it?

Is is just for one season, or is it an enduring commitment?

When we tune into our spirituality, we see that what is uplifting is also present at all times and is abundant everywhere.

We can tune into the upliftment at any time.

As we cultivate our awareness of spiritual qualities, they become more and more a part of our conscious life.

We find ourselves becoming less critical and more accepting.

Less judgmental and more encouraging.

More willing to see how beautiful we all are.

Our compassion grows for everyone through acknowledging all the things we are all facing.

We find ourselves naturally offering hope and support.

It may be through personal contact or through a silent acknowledgment.

When it becomes a habit, we know that more of the Christ-spirit is in us and that we have a true celebration moment by moment.

© 2016 Kathryn Hardage

www.inspiredpractices.blogspot.com 

25 Days of Christ and Christmas - Commitment (11)

What are you committed to?

Your thoughts show where you spend your time.

Are you happy with the amount of time you spend thinking about various topics?

You can direct your thoughts to a specific purpose or goal.

This show your commitment to the idea.

As you listen for ways to express your idea, thoughts will come to you about steps to take.

As you continue to listen, you will be guided to find materials and customers.

What if you are looking for a relationship commitment?

Begin to practice the qualities in yourself that you want to attract.

You may choose from a list or you may listen each day for the quality you want to emphasize.

You may choose to practice a quality for an entire month to more fully understand it.

Each time you find your thought wandering or you find that you have skipped a day or so, simply bring yourself back to your original commitment.

You are teaching yourself how to follow through on an idea, how to cultivate a relationship, how to show more commitment.

© 2016 Kathryn Hardage

www.InspiredPractices.com

25 Days of Christ and Christmas - Devotion (10)

What are you devoted to?

Where do you spend your time?

What do you think about the most?

That is what you are most devoted to.

By assessing where you are spending your time, you can redirect your devotion to the issues you want to help solve.

Recently, as I felt my mind returning to its familiar patterns, cycling a series of thoughts over and over again, I asked to have my mind redirected to its most useful place and function.

Imagine my surprise as I found myself writing a letter to a mentor from ten years ago, expressing my gratitude for his guidance and sharing the ideas I have been developing since then.

I am inspired to continue devoting myself to a work-in-progress so that I can share it more and more widely.

My devotion to the principles I have been taught has redirected my life, and I see it as an unlimited continuing process.

© 2016 Kathryn Hardage

www.inspiredpractices.blogspot.com 

25 Days of Christ and Christmas - Humanity (9)

Expressing our humanity expands ways we can be of service.

What are the things we know how to do?

How can we join with others to do things that express our values?

Providing dignity, recognition, and support so that everyone feels better expresses our humanity.

I have been reading about the far-reaching effects of micro credit in Bangladesh.

As a practice for meeting one need has been implemented, other needs are able to be addressed in effective ways.

Micro-credit is moving people out of poverty, educating their children, providing them with a self-directed way of sustaining themselves.

This is a wonderful expression of humanity which has spread all over the world.

Helping people take care of their needs gives them dignity which they can build on for themselves and their families.

Another project which expresses humanity is a project which pays debts for families in prison and then gives them a way to make a living using skills they learn on their release.

We all have a capacity for independence.

We all have a capacity for self-sustaining activity.

We all have a capacity for humanity.

© 2016 Kathryn Hardage

www.InspiredPractices.com

25 Days of Christ and Christmas - Divinity (8)

We feel the divinity of the Christ as present in all of us as we express unselfishness to everyone.

When we create a feeling of upliftment in others, we are expressing our divinity.

When we express unconditional love to others, we express our divinity.

Our divinity is a quality we access from within.

When we listen quietly to our deep thoughts within, we hear the messages which lead us to do service for others.

Our uplifting lives inspire others.

That is the divine.

© 2016 Kathryn Hardage

www.InspiredPractices.com

25 Days of Christ and Christmas - Humility (7)

I am thankful for all my gifts.

I know that they come from the Supreme and Beneficent Universal Power.

I know that my world is safe when I listen for the guidance from within and that it meets the need for that moment.

I have learned over and over again to turn to this inward power for direction, because what I know from my own experience is not adequate to meet the many new things that occur in my life.

I am happy to give credit to my Source.

I am happy to be learning how to follow more exactly and immediately the guidance I am given.

I am grateful to be learning about this aspect of humility because it guides my life.

© 2015 Kathryn Hardage

www.InspiredPractices.com

25 Days of Christ and Christmas - Compassion (6)

Having compassion for oneself and for others paves the way to live in a gentle and considerate manner.

We are all facing challenges and celebrating progress.

It takes different forms for different people.

Being patient with our needs helps us feel compassion for ourselves.

Being understanding about the needs of others leads us to be more generous in our thoughts and actions.

Being aware of those needs lets us separate our actions to act in an individual way.

It is good to donate to causes; it is also good to notice situations in our immediate life.

For example, as I was getting into our car in front of a store in one of the wealthy suburbs, I saw my husband walk across the parking lot to a homeless woman who was standing with her head down after pushing a heavily laden push-cart.  I don’t know how much money he gave her.  It is part of his private method of tithing.

Part of my method is listening for and sharing uplifting thoughts.  It helps me stay positive and focused.

I read of a woman who, after hosting years of foreign exchange students, is anticipating helping a family from Congo, and later a Syrian family.

We all have opportunities to widen our fields of awareness and to practice compassion in ways that are appropriate to our time and place.

© 2015 Kathryn Hardage

www.InspiredPractices.com

25 Days of Christ and Christmas - Inspiration (5)

Inspiration comes from deep within.

When I practice accessing it through calm, it is easier and easier to return there.

What I always find is fresh and interesting.

It may involve a new approach.

It may involve an old technique.

But I always feel good reaching out for inspiration and then finding it within.

It is an plighting presence.

It exists within all of us as part of our spiritual identity.

It is unique and individual to each one of us.

It connects us to other inspired people and inspires those around us.

It is a continuous flow, once we learn how to connect at will.

It guides us into a higher expression and creates new job opportunities.

It compliments existing relationships and leads us to new great contacts.

I love living with inspiration.

© 2015 Kathryn Hardage

www.InspiredPractices.com

25 Days of Christ and Christmas - Uplifting (4)

There is an uplifting energy in the air that is not related to the consumerism of the season.

We can really feel it when we tune into the deeper meaning of Christ and Christmas.

Every year, this meaning gets deeper and deeper for me. 

I continue to read many inspiring authors on topics relating to spirituality.

People are discovering their own deeper nature.

It cannot be satisfied by stuff.

This deeper nature is within each one of us and our access to it grows by our recognition of it.

As we uplift ourselves by listening to our inner guidance, we act as a radiant force to those people around us.

Without saying anything, when we feel better, it contributes to uplifting the atmosphere around us.

When we find a deeper meaning and relate to it instead of to the objects in our lives, we are moving ourselves deeper into spiritual life.

The more harmony, calm and inspiration we add to our lives, the more people feel it.

Our spiritual nature becomes more real to us and it has a more powerful effect in uplifting society.

© 2015 Kathryn Hardage

25 Days of Christ and Christmas - Healing (3)

There is so much good healing going on in the world today.

Some of it takes the form of riling folks up about their deeply held beliefs.

Questioning our beliefs is a healthy step.

It takes us toward healing.

We may resolve our beliefs in the same direction.

Or we may build new foundations for new beliefs.

The need for healing comes up every time we want to live better.

It comes up every time we want others to live better.

And here is the way to accomplish it.

Bu being aware, by being compassionate, by taking the action we can take.

Awareness of problems naturally turns us toward healing them.

Compassion helps us reach out in the right ways.

Taking action puts us into the arena of healing.

It has a powerful effect.

We are joined together with others of like mind.

This power expands and expands until it creates the right conditions for healing.

It forces old practices out and makes room for new uplifting practices.

It becomes obvious to many others that things are changing.

Even with resistance and holding on to things as they were, the new and better and more inclusive way creates the power to heal and bless more and more people.

The more we are involved in healing for others, the more we are healed ourselves.

The more we seek healing for ourselves, the more it is expanded to others.

Healing is the most wonderful way to be involved in blessings.

© 2015 Kathryn Hardage

www.InspiredPractices.com

25 Days of Christ and Christmas - Kindness (2)

Kindness is a year-round expression.

We become more conscious of it around the holidays, because we see such a contrast between our own well-being and that of others.

All during the year, we can control our anger and resentment and be more patient.

We can do small favors for people.

We can open doors for them.

We can be generous in our judgement and withhold it, even to ourselves.

We can be more empathetic to conditions; there are many circumstances which contribute to or take away from a person’s well-being.

We can choose to donate to a food bank.

We can volunteer our time in a way which fits our sympathies and skills.

We can become more aware of social justice.

We can align ourselves with the goals of seeing everyone as an individual.

We can see that all cultures have value.

We can support politics which value people.

We can support politics which value the earth.

We can take the many small steps which enable us to take care of others the way we take care of ourselves.

© 2015 Kathryn Hardage

www.InspiredPractices.com

25 Days of Christ and Christmas - Service (1)

What can I do for others?

How can I be an uplifting influence in my community?

What do I have that is of value that can help others?

I can see others as whole.

I can see others as loved.

I can see others as precious.

Everything I want for myself, I want for others.

I want to live in a peaceful community where I am a valued and respected and loved member.

That is my wish for others, that they, too, live in a peaceful community where they, too, are valued and respected and loved.

How can I share that feeling?

I will not judge others.

I will recognize that they are dealing with the situations that life brings them as best as they can.

I will be courteous and not be in a rush.

I will take the time that shows I am aware of others around me.

I will be patient.

I will be forgiving.

I will be understanding.

I will be respectful.

I will be gracious.

That is the service I will share this holiday season.

© 2015 Kathryn Hardage

www.InspiredPratices.com