By Mark Andrew Beach

Albert Einstein first developed the theory of relativity between 1907 and 1915. Fortunately, we don’t need to understand it on Einstein’s level to grasp the practical power of this universal law—or to apply it meaningfully in our own lives. For most of us, our experience with the law of relativity tends to focus more on its spiritual or metaphysical implications than on its scientific roots.

At its core, the law of relativity teaches that everything in our physical world gains meaning only in comparison to something else. Nothing "just is" until we measure it against another experience or standard. Life has no inherent meaning except for the meaning we assign to it. And when it comes to manifesting the results we want, gratitude becomes a crucial practice—gratitude is how we put the law of relativity to work.

When I was a kid, up until about age ten, I had no idea my parents were considered "poor." Like hot and cold, the idea of being “poor” is relative. I had some sense that our family didn’t have as much as others—I noticed the contrast between my life and that of my friends. But I didn’t fully understand it until one December night, just before Christmas, when I overheard my parents talking while I was supposed to be asleep. They were discussing bills, the lack of money for presents, and the growing stress of the season. Lying there in the dark, I began to cry.

At first, I cried because I worried about Christmas—what it would be like, what my siblings would miss out on, what I might miss out on too. But then something shifted. I cried for my dad. I saw how hard he worked, how much he carried, and I felt his sadness as if it were my own. That night marked me.

Why did it affect me so deeply? Because of the meaning I gave it. That moment planted beliefs in me about money, about sacrifice, and about the weight of fatherhood—beliefs that stayed with me for decades. That, too, is the law of relativity in action.

Later that Christmas, my siblings and I gave up our entire Christmas to help impoverished Inuit children in Canada. We learned firsthand what it meant to be grateful and to give from the heart. That memory remains another powerful imprint of the law of relativity. (You can read more about this experience in my book Onward Christmas Soldiers.)

Gratitude is the key to activating the law of relativity in our lives. Dale Carnegie once said, “I had the blues because I had no shoes, Until upon the street, I met a man who had no feet.” That simple shift in perspective illustrates the heart of the law. Over time, I’ve made it a habit to be sincerely thankful for all that I have—even the so-called “bad” things. The Apostle Paul often wrote about finding joy even in suffering. I’ve come to understand this as gratitude that transforms pain into purpose. When we choose to be grateful and offer our experiences to God, they begin to work in our favor—no matter what they are.

This principle applies across every area of our life: relationships, health, wealth, and our spiritual well-being. The law of relativity can either lift us to new heights or weigh us down in defeat. We activate its power by noticing and appreciating the good already present. Instead of comparing our lives to someone else’s or some far-off dream, we shift into gratitude for what is. That shift—small as it may seem—is what turns the key.