June 2015
Reflections of God's Goodness
What a gift our sight is! Imagine our poverty if we could not see the splendor of Spring colors or the sweet smile of someone we love. We not only take seeing for granted, we barely understand its fullness.
Our sight feeds information to our brain, eventually creating our thoughts. As with so many things in life, when it comes to our thoughts or perceptions, we have a choice. When we see a glass of water, we can choose to see the glass half empty or we can choose to see the glass half full! This is just a small example. These thoughts and choices create our attitudes and generally direct our actions. Added one to another, these attitudes create our life.
In our relationships, some of us see only the beauty in people we know or meet, yet some see only the flaws. I can’t say this ‘choosing’ is easy, especially if we have a long history of seeing the negative. Our perspective affects our lives — how we see things is the basis for so much of our lives, our relationships, our decisions. A change in attitude starts with a change of perspective. Not only do we need to reject the glass half empty or the flaw in our neighbor, we must replace those images with the positive perspective. We choose to see the glass half full and the beauty in each person we meet.
Taking control of our thoughts is not a new idea, but many times we tend to forget we can choose to think about something or not, or think about it differently! God’s word directs us…
Finally, sisters and brothers,
whatever is true, whatever is honorable,
whatever is just, whatever is pure,
whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious,
if there is any excellence and
if there is anything worthy of praise,
think about these things.
Keep on doing what you have learned
and received and heard and seen in me.
Someone once said, “if you can change your thoughts you can change your life.” It is not enough to want to change, we need to do something different. In this month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, I suggest we pray to love with the heart of Jesus and see the world with the eyes of Jesus. May His vision be our vision.
Mahatma Gandhi talks about change this way: “Be the change you want to see in the world.” Wow! Who is the person or situation in your life that you need to view through the heart of Jesus?
Can you be the change you want to see? Pray for new eyes and understanding so that you see and act in ways that Jesus would.
Blessings,
Sister Mary Ann Barnhorn
Director of Development
There is little difference in people but that little difference makes a big difference. The little difference is attitude. The big difference is whether it is positive or negative.
