“Gratitude will shift you to a higher frequency, and you will attract much better things.” - Rhonda Byrne

I remember when I experienced the best application of the Law of Relativity since learning about universal laws. It’s a moment that will forever be burned into my memory, both as a source of humor and a clear example of how this law works.

The truth is, I used to resent this particular law. I didn’t appreciate being in really poor living conditions and then reminded, “at least you have a roof over your head.” Honestly, it would make me angry, despite my understanding of these laws.

Just before moving out of a rental we had been living in, one day the sewer started backing up under the toilet….again….and I started laughing. In fact, it was one of those hallelujah-chorus-moments where I felt so grateful for a Father in Heaven who is so aware of me.

Ironically, this same toilet, same sewer system, and same exact scenario had occurred just a few months before this. At that time, I was on the verge of breaking from the stress. Chaos surrounded me—personal family issues, a cross-country trip to help my daughter move in temporarily, and business pressures had left me feeling completely overwhelmed. For the seven months we lived in that rental, the plumbing had been a living nightmare, and when I flushed the toilet, only to have the sewer water spewed into the house, I lost it, and it took me about a week to recover emotionally from the meltdown.

It really wasn’t just that one flush. There was the leaking sewer pipe in the basement, an unseen leak from the upstairs bathroom that caused a section of my 5-year-old’s bedroom ceiling to collapse, and worst of all - a broken pipe that flooded our beautiful back yard - my ONLY place of respite from that dreadful house we lived in.

After significant pressure on the landlord and six plumber visits, the issues subsided enough for us to manage, but I knew we had to move. I was even advised by friend to relocate my daughters to a more suitable home before the cold winter set in. The landlord reluctantly let us out of our lease early with no penalties.

That sounds simple, but securing housing in our area was like finding a needle in a haystack. On top of that, I had no consistent income, and we had very specific needs that had to be met. As the move-out date approached with no housing secured for my daughters and I, I had begun to doubt my decision. The plumbing was at least functional by then, so had I been wrong? Still, I kept remembering the peace I felt when I had finally made the difficult decision to move.

Then, just days before our move-out date, I flushed the toilet and saw it—the plumbing was running slow again. It was painfully obvious that it was only a matter of time before the sewer backed up into the house again.

I did a happy dance. In that moment, I KNEW. I knew the Lord had just provided me with tangible evidence that there was no need to doubt. Everything was exactly as it should be, and I realized unseen help had kept our sewer cleared all that time. The stress had been held at bay long enough for me to focus on the next steps in front of me.

Same scenario, but this time I saw it differently. And I laughed. I laughed because never in a million years would I have thought a plumbing problem would become a source of profound gratitude. And that’s when it hit me—THIS is how the Law of Relativity works!