There is a beautiful story in the book of Kings in the Old Testament, where the Lord comes to Solomon and says “Ask for whatever you want and I will give it to you.” (1 Kings 3:5). Solomon thinks about this, and finally asks the Lord to give him an understanding heart. Solomon could have asked for riches, power and honor, but instead he asked to have the understanding to rule with wisdom and be a good king to his people. The Lord understood this, and gave Solomon an understanding heart, along with all the things he did not ask for… riches, power and honor.

When we ask for an understanding heart, we are allowing the Divine to express through us. So all the gifts of the Universe are ours, and we find ourselves in synch with life. We are in the right place at the right time; we are meeting the right people and hearing just what we need to hear. When we are expressing God, we have unlimited potential. We allow this expression by asking for an understanding heart.

With an understanding heart we experience compassion and love, and find ourselves free from judgment and criticism. If you think about it, when we judge another person, we are actually just annoyed that they are not doing something the way we would do it. This means we want people to do things our way, and so we must be control freaks. We can let go of this need by asking for an understanding heart, and placing the focus on having compassion toward others.

With an understanding heart we experience gratitude and find ourselves letting go of our need to complain. Complaining is an activity, and something we do because we want attention. With an understanding heart we are filled with gratitude for the things we already have, and are filled with inspiration to change the things that need to be changed.

“The greatest thing is, at any moment, to be willing to give up who we are in order to become all that we can be.” ~ Max Du Pree ~

Everyone needs connections that nurture and support us. We are here to look after each other, and love others without judgment. We are meant to uplift and light the way for those lost in the wilderness.

“We are all alone in the wilderness… until we connect with others, and find meaning in our lives.” ~ Bernie Siegel, M.D. ~

With an understanding heart, we become true expressions of a Loving Creator, and are able to see the beauty and unique gifts that others have to offer. It is up to us to illumine the world with a light that can only be lit from heart.