Loving thoughts never fail to heal. . .

EVERY LOVING THOUGHT IS TRUE. EVERY THING ELSE IS AN APPEAL FOR HEALING AND HELP.  This particular spiritual principle has become very important to my peace of mind. It gives me a simple shorthand for interpreting the experiences I am having. For much of my life, I was quick to judge others for their actions, their opinions, even their appearance. I’d like to say I have outgrown all of those judgments; however, I would be lying. I am acutely aware of them though and that’s progress.

But let me elaborate on the meaning of the principle. Loving thoughts are pretty easy to recognize. They are kind, always free from malice. They are peaceful at their core. They are the thoughts God would offer us if we asked for them. That’s what makes them true. God doesn’t deal in untruths. The harder part of the principle to grasp is that every thing else is an appeal for healing and help. Some one’s anger is their call for help. Another person’s dishonesty is their call. Sexual and emotional abuse likewise, are calls for healing and help. It’s not easy to classify all of these behaviors as appeals for help. Some of them seem so much worse than others. It’s important to remember that our job is not to judge the actions of any one but to recognize the call for help and offer the forgiveness that is God’s will for our lives.

Being able to classify every action I observe as falling into one of these two categories, it’s either a loving thought or an appeal for healing and help, has made my life simpler. And it’s clarified my next action too. Meeting anger with anger isn’t God’s will. Meeting abuse of any kind with retaliation isn’t God’s will either. There is only one right response to every situation, it’s the expression of love. This doesn’t mean we have to love the “perpetrator” along with his or her actions, but if we want to fulfill God’s will, we need to recognize the call for love and then act lovingly in response. This might mean speaking words of understanding or simply saying nothing but offering a silent prayer. Our response can come in many forms as long as it’s not retaliatory.

This blog is about hope and I consider this principle a very hopeful one. It outlines for us exactly what to do in every encounter we might have today. There is only one right response, isn’t there? I am finding it increasingly interesting that the older I get, the simpler my choices have become. There is a right way and a wrong way to be in this experience we are sharing with others. Perhaps wisdom really does come with age. Ot maybe it’s that some of us tried so very hard to force solutions when God was keeping a door closed, that our energies are now spent and God has been waiting for us all along to “see the light.”

It really doesn’t matter. The point is that we can “give in” and be at peace. We can see as God would have us see and be at peace. We can help others seek peace by our example and we will likewise benefit. What ever loving thought we have about others will shower us with good will too. We are the purveyors of blessings where ever we go. Never doubt that. We can be the example of hope that others may have been longing for. It’s our task to be generous with our loving thoughts.