***Self-Realization: 17 Benefits of Having a Personal Relationship with the Divine

For many people, the relationship they have with the Divine is unconscious, and this arrangement works well for them. Fortunately, one does not have to have a conscious relationship with the Divine in order to receive Divine Grace. You don’t even have to believe in the Divine to receive Divine Grace! On the other hand, I choose to have a conscious relationship with the Divine, and I invite you to do the same. I feel having a close relationship with the Divine can be very beneficial. I’d like to stress that you do not need to be enlightened--or anywhere near enlightenment--to have a personal relationship with the Divine. The Divine will meet you where you are right now! Here are 17 benefits that are available to you long before you reach a state of enlightenment or self-realization.nnSeventeen Benefits of Having a Personal Relationship with the Divine 1. Fun. Once you become aware, it’s FUN to see how God works in your life! And your amazement expands your horizons of what is possible. 2. Help that you can actually receive. When the Divine is a friend in your life, it becomes second nature for you to go to the Divine, especially when you need assistance. And because the Divine knows you so well, the Divine knows exactly how to assist you. 3. Guidance for intentional living. The Divine knows things you do not know, so the Divine can guide you in achieving and accomplishing your goals. You tell the Divine what you want and where you’d like assistance through your intentions and your intentional efforts. 4. Increased faith. You begin sensing that your requests for help are really answered, and you learn to recognize the help as it comes to you in unexpected ways. This recognition increases your faith and gives you greater peace in those times when Divine help is not apparent to you. 5. Accepting more opportunities. When you know God is supporting you, you are more apt to keep your eyes open and be willing to receive and act upon the opportunities you are given. 6. Healing. You become able to access feelings that you haven't been able to reach before, allowing healing and clearing to take place. 7. The perfect confidant. You have somebody you can confide in at all times. Someone who will never shame or humiliate you. The unconditional nature of this relationship allows you to express yourself FULLY--something you may have never been able to do before. 8. Co-creating miracles. Open to the Grace that is flowing in your life, you begin to have an active role in when and how Grace flows. You begin to consciously co-create miracles with God. 9. A bigger playing field. More things are included in your realm of possibility. You are open to new options and new answers, which allows them to enter into your physical reality more easily. 10. Comfort and hope. When you begin seeing regular evidence that God hears you and that you have a two-way relationship, it provides you comfort and hope. 11. Seeing you are precious in the eyes of God. When you experience the Divine in your life, you begin to understand that even though you are one with all, YOU are still precious. This knowing grows when you see how the Divine is willing to help you in ways that are so personal and so important to you. 12. Filling the void. Even if you are satisfied with your life, you may still be seeking “something else.” You may be seeking meaning, purpose, or to fill a yearning you cannot quite explain. Knowing God personally helps you fill this void. 13. Your own Divinity. The better friends you are with the Divine, the more you see the commonalities that you have. For example, the more you understand the power of the Divine, the more you begin to understand your own power. 14. Knowing the Divine is with you. As your relationship with the Divine grows, you begin to actually sense/feel the presence of the Divine with you. 15. Hearing the Divine. As your relationship with the Divine deepens, you will be able to “hear” the Divine. You will notice you ask a question, and the answer just “magically” appears. Solutions and insights simply come to you. 16. Bliss or ecstasy with the Divine. This Bliss is a relationship that is beyond description. You become inseparable from the Divine in the deepest and most wondrous way imaginable. There is a joy in it that is truly “heavenly.” 17. Oneness. Your personal relationship with God opens you to glimpses of your connection with all that is. These are glimpses which eventually grow into a true Knowing of Oneness. I hope you are already experiencing many of these blessings in your relationship with the Divine, and that you have discovered additional benefits as well. The path of self-realization holds many joys--please don’t forget to enjoy the journey!