A Positive Shift
Posted on: July 31, 2014
- In: Everyday Life | Faith
- 1 Comment
I’ve acknowledged here before that I’m not an optimist. Sometimes I struggle to see the good in people and their motives and instead dwell on thoughtless actions and unkind words.
And so a verse that I read this morning seemed written for me:
Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honourable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
~ Philippians 4:8*
People like me need to work harder than optimists do to see the true, lovely and praiseworthy things out there. So how can we do that?
- Watch the local news. Not at the top of the hour, but halfway through the newscast. That’s when the heartwarming stories air—spots about people raising funds for charity or serving in developing countries, for example.
- Look for good-news sections in the community and local papers. These offer encouraging news about good work being carried out in the area, such as the rallying of the community around a family struggling with illness or loss or the progress of clothing, toy or food drives.
- Read a positive magazine such as live happy for stories of people making a difference and suggestions of inspiring books, films or music to check out.
- Pray that God would open our hearts—and our eyes—to see beyond the gloom and doom the media often serve up. We need to know about world events, but tragedy and disaster aren’t the whole story.
- Find role models and mentors in our parish, workplace and community to encourage and inspire us. As the apostle Paul wrote in Philippians 4:9, “What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, do; and the God of peace will be with you.” And then ask God how and where he would have us serve to bring more true, just and lovely things into others’ lives and our own.
A double rainbow after last night’s storm
As we work to develop a more positive outlook, may we remember that “we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10).
(*Scripture quotes taken from the Holy Bible, Revised Standard Version, Second Catholic Edition.)
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1 Response to "A Positive Shift"
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A Catholic Convert in Ottawa 
July 31, 2014 at 3:02 pm
this helps me, I repeat these words when my mind starts becoming negative…. “Positive mind, positive heart, positive soul” and “loving mind, loving heart, loving soul”…. it works if you stick at it, all we are doing is re-writing a track in the mind, we are making a different groove….. oh yes and also find things you like doing 🙂 take care