Charles Fillmore, co-founder of Unity, identified 12 spiritual abilities perfectly expressed by Jesus, which are also present in each one of us. Fillmore called them the Twelve Powers. Unity is designating 2010 “The Year of the Twelve Powers.” This article is one of the many inspirational materials featured this month as part of our Twelve Powers Resource Center.

By Sandy Eastwood

The Power of Life: the ability to energize, vitalize, enliven, animate and invigorate all that a person does.

I recently took a Spiritual Education and Enrichment class offered at Unity Village on the Twelve Powers. The Power of Life was the last power we discussed. It's generally placed last because it's considered to be the power that underlies all the other powers. If the Twelve Powers were parts of a car, Life would be the engine, feeding energy to all the systems of the car.

As I have thought about the spiritual power of Life, I realize with a sense of awe that we can choose what we give Life to—we can choose where our energy goes. What an amazing and empowering thought!

For example, when taking the class, I chose to give Life to the power of Understanding, thus increasing my comprehension of the Twelve Powers. When I organize my garage, I can choose to give Life to the power of Order. I have realized that using the power of Life is a gift that can help me accomplish anything.

I sometimes procrastinate on tasks that I don't find exciting or interesting. My manager would confirm this, and she would cite filing as her first example. Filing is part of my job, but I always put it at the very end of my to-do list. I now see that if I shift my perspective to instead think of filing as “giving Life to my files,” my attitude changes. The fact that I am consciously choosing to give Life to that task makes it seem more purposeful and less mundane.

When I was growing up, my Dad loved to say, “A job worth doing is a job worth doing well,” which I didn't always appreciate. This phrase has stuck with me (and annoyed me) for years, but I never really saw the truth in it. Now when I think about the power of Life, Dad's catchphrase makes sense. If something is important enough to spend even one moment on, it must be worth doing well.

We have a limited number of moments on this earth, so we shouldn't spend even one of them frivolously. Associated Press reporter Hugh Mulligan said, “What you do today is important because you are exchanging a day of your life for it.” The power of Life helps me remember to be present in each moment and that I can choose to give Life to any task at hand.