A Spiritual Exercise

Life is seldom problem free, and it seems that many of our problems involve the people closest to us, family members, co-workers, neighbors, and others with whom we interact on a regular basis. Even if those people aren’t the cause of our problems, they are affected by our reactions to them. If we are in the habit of reacting negatively, that can sour life and relationships faster than almost anything else.
One of the secrets to both happiness and success with people is to not allow the relatively small problems and irritations of daily life to cast large shadows. “Keep your eyes to the sunshine and you cannot see the shadows.” The apostle Paul was more specific when he said, “ Whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praise worthy- meditate an these things.”
For the next couple of weeks, why not take a few minutes each night to reflect on your day? What were the high points and low points? Did you thank god for the highs? How could you have reacted better to the lows by looking on the bright side? There’s something to be gained from even the worst situations if you look for it. By recasting the events of your day in a more positive light, you condition yourself to react more positively in the future.
This is the way of leading our mind…
- From Jesus with Love.