Thursday, March 13, 2014

Nowhere a Discouraging Word?

Here's an assignment for you: Try to find an example of negative thinking in Scripture. You know, the "it doesn't matter what I do, I can't win" sort of thing. The "if I give an inch they'll take a mile" variety of thought. The "if we give away benefits, people who shouldn't get them will cheat and get them" kind of thinking. And the "nobody appreciates anything I do, so why bother" attitude.

Jesus never looked for reasons to avoid doing unpleasant things. Even in the Garden of Gethsemane, when he knew that he would soon be beaten and tortured and hung on a cross to die by the very ungrateful people had been sent to save, he asked God to take it away from him, but only if that was his father's will. It wasn't, and he accepted it.

This prayer is attributed to Mother Teresa of Calcutta, and it spells out for us a very positive way to handle negative thinking when we encounter it:

"People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered. Forgive them anyway.
"If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives. Be kind anyway.
"If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies. Succeed anyway.
"If you are honest and sincere, people may deceive you. Be honest and sincere anyway.
"What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight. Create anyway.
"If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous. Be happy anyway.
"The good you do today will often be forgotten. Do good anyway,
"Give the best you have and it will never be enough. Give your best anyway.
"In the final analysis, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway."

In any event, this makes it quite clear, and correctly so, that being true to yourself does not have to be selfish at all. Being true to yourself means, on a spiritual level, doing what you know to be the right thing even when it doesn't make sense in any logical or visible way.

It also spells out the kind of negative thinking that gets in the way or our spiritual growth. All of them are focused on what other people think, say or do: Don't succeed. Don't be kind. Don't be honest or sincere. Don't seek out serenity or happiness. People will forget the good you do. People will never appreciate what you do. People are unreasonable, irrational and self-centered. 

Can you give up negative thinking for Lent? Why not? You still may not succeed, be kind all the time, always be honest or find serenity or happiness. People may not remember the good things you've done or appreciate what you do. 

So think about this: Why do you do the things you do? If you only do them to be noticed by other people, you will be disappointed. If you only do them for praise from others, you will not feel appreciated. 

In fact, according to the Gospel of Matthew, 6:5, Jesus said:
"When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; who love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on street corners so that others may see them. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, to to your inner room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. And your father who sees in secret will repay you."

Same idea with your motivations. Do what you do because you know it's the right thing to do. Don't look to others for reasons NOT to do the right thing. And you may just find that those negative thoughts are no longer keeping you from being happy and fulfilled. 

Peace on your Lenten journey
Susan

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