But despite times being at one of their worst, this is still
a time for optimism. There is still a
way to imagine hope. With a new
President, comes a new way of looking at things, a new way of handling things,
and hopefully … new = better. The best
rational for hope is the current state of how horrible things have become. While they could and perhaps will get a bit
worse, it is harder and harder to imagine how, and easier and easier to imagine
them improving. Imagination then is the
launching point, the beginning of hope.
And if hope can take hold despite the obvious, what else is
possible? There are those who believe
that power of your imagination is more real than you give it credit. Imagining your own success, becomes the first
step in achieving your own success.
Science and the Bible seem united on this point, for the scripture says
… “as a man thinks so is he”. How you
think of yourself, what you believe about yourself, becomes who you are.
The reason why Hope is so important, is that constant
dwelling on negativity can lead you only downwards, not upwards. Depression feeds on itself. The more down-hearted and sad you become by
focusing on the negative facts of life, the more the cycle repeats and
intensifies. There is no question about
the preponderance of negative facts we are surrounded by, the question is only
what we choose to focus upon. The first
bit of the good news of the gospel is HOPE!
The first thing the gospel message brings to the human heart, is relief,
is joy, is hope. It is the beginning of
the end of negative spirals that grow out of control.
Even the most devout Christian with an unshakeable faith,
can find themselves wallowing in negativity.
Their prayers become ones of constant appeals for forgiveness and
deliverance; with joy and appreciation wholly absent from their minds. The small victories that come from God are
overlooked in lieu of the large looming negative facts of life that call our
attention in bold letters and loud tones.
Evil demands attention. Think
about that. Why? Why is attention so important to the success
of the evil agenda in our lives? Is it because
as we believe about ourselves so are we?
Is it because even Science and the Bible are in sync on this topic?
“As a man thinks.”
What do you spend your day thinking about? There is no need to read scripture 24 hours a
day, or spend 24 hours in fervent prayer, or deep in nature to answer this
question appropriately. The folks who
would tell you to read your Bible more, or to pray more, are never happy with
how often you do read your Bible or how much time you do spend in prayer. They have the “never enough” disease. “Never enough’s” cannot be happy with how
much effort you put forth on anything because … it is never enough. Nothing you do ever matters, because again …
it is never enough. This disease is an
insidious type of negativity that belittles important things and leaves you
completely without any satisfaction (a hallmark of evil plans and designs).
But back to my question, what do you think about? My guess would be, put simply whatever it is
you see. Your work, your family, the TV,
the Internet, whatever it is you watch or spend a good deal of time seeing, is
what you think about. Sometimes the
imagery even slips into your subconscious and comes out in your dreams. And if you think about it long enough, it
becomes a part of who you are.
Therefore, evil demands constant attention in order to put within you
seeds of negativity that can grow and grow until they reach maturity in your
actions.
Bad news usually dominates the news shows … but why? It gets the ratings. Ratings rule what you see. Evil demands attention. People are not as riveted by good news as
they are by catastrophe, so the cameras are always looking for what is next. It is endemic in every society, in every
culture on earth … again why? If an evil
consciousness did not exist it would not be so universally found in our
world. But all mankind suffers from this
phenomenon. And God knew what we needed
above all things … Hope.
What if you spent some time actively putting all the
negative facts of life on a shelf for a while, and allowed yourself to think on
other things. What if you focused on
hope for a few minutes, and began to imagine what hope could do to change your
life, your surroundings, your family, you.
If things could be better for you, what would they look like? What would just a small step towards making
your life better look like? How could it
come about? Could you influence it
coming about? Can you imagine it,
clearly?
“As a man thinks.”
The transforming power of the mind’s eye is not to be underestimated. Some of the greatest athletes of our time
could visualize themselves making the plays.
Some of the greatest mathematicians can simply see the solutions in
their minds. It is possible. If you can begin to see yourself succeed in
your mind perhaps you will begin to see yourself succeed in real life. But no need to stop there …
What if you began to imagine what you are capable of where
it comes to serving God? What if you
started imagining what Heaven might be like?
What if you started imagining what a perfect relationship with someone
you love might look like? What about
perfect service. If you began to imagine
how good, good can truly be, might you start becoming what you see? It is all about focus. When we place it on good, on Christ, we are
changed in a profound way. When we
abandon the cycle of negativity we become new creatures.
Some of the most negative people I know are the blindest to
their own condition. I know, I know, if
you read my last 3 blogs you might be quick to point out I should be looking in
the mirror (well at least if you only read them casually J). When I have confronted them with the
negativity they exude, they are usually surprised. They don’t think of themselves in that
way. The truth is, negativity has so become
a part of who they are they are completely immune to detecting it within
themselves. So how do you know if
negativity has gotten a hold on you?
Start by taking a minute and examining what a perfect moment
might look like? Where would you like to
be, what would you like to be doing, who would benefit from it? If you have no clue – you might be infected
with negativity. Some who have little
imagination or are not terribly creative use the lack of these 2 traits as
reasons why they cannot imagine “good things”.
This excuse is merely a cover for negativity. The disease has them. Ask yourself, how many people like talking
with you? If they initiative contact
often, and tend to stay for a while, they must like what they hear. Negative people tend to repel others, not
draw them closer. But no matter what
your state of infection, we all suffer from it from time-to-time, and we are
all able to put it out of our lives if we choose to.
Start by refocusing on good, on Christ, and on Hope that He
has brought you. You have hope, because
no matter how bad it is now, it will not always be that way. A time is coming when peace will reign. A time is coming when pain has no more a part
in your life in any way shape or form. A
time is coming when you ask your God a question, you will be looking Him in the
eyes. A time is coming when the
fulfillment you experience so overwhelms you that you have no words to describe
it, bliss is inadequate, and service is treasured above all else. A time is coming that even Obama cannot
envision, past the kingdoms and administrations of this world, is a government
based on love of others. A place where
self does not exist, and life is everlasting.
A time is coming, whether we have hope in it or not, it is coming. Better for us to hold our hope and cherish it
…
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