What if...
...we only looked at the positives in other people for a single day?
Slide on a whole new set of glasses, just for a moment, to dim the brightness of the negatives. Yes, negatives are bright. Negatives are blinding. We tend to associate the word "negative" with negative words: dark, gloomy, unpleasant, mean, ugly. But in all reality, negatives are far brighter than positives. I know this, because it's not until I put on those sunglasses that I can see past the negatives. The positives may not be brighter, but they're far more beautiful. They take more choice to look at.
My dad: he's giving--selflessly and without reserve.
My mom: she cares about everyone with a sincere mother's heart.
My brother-in-law: he's selfless and genuine.
My older sister: she's fiercely protective of those she loves.
My younger brother: he's helpful, ready to drop what he's doing to do what needs doing.
My younger sister: she's good-hearted. If she sees an ounce of hurt, she looks for emotional and physical band-aids.
Choosing to look at the positives doesn't mean pretending the negatives don't exist--it's a + and - magnet, forever stuck to our refrigerator of life. I know there are negatives in my family members. I've grown up with them. But when I flip the magnet to the + side, it makes my heart swell with pride. I am reminded how good they are. I can't believe this is my family.
What if I did this with everyone? Even the people who are harder for me to love?
A boy in junior high may have tormented me for two years...but he loved to make others laugh. He loved to see people smile. And in the end, he apologized with true sincerity. He cared about others' well-being.
A girl I know may have stolen from those providing for her, but she relished companionship. She loved to be loved and she adored pouring quality time into others. A pastor I know may have left his congregation burning, but he loved his family with every ounce of his existence.
Sometimes negatives make us flare up. "Why should I look at her positives? She doesn't deserve it."
But do you deserve it? Don't you want people to see the positives in you? To know that there is more to you than your mistakes, your gloomy days, or your selfishness that always seems to pop out like a jack-in-the-box? Don't you want people to look for your heart? To know you have a heart?
Everyone has a heart. One of my favorite things to do is try and find it, because once I do--once I see that teensy glimpse in someone--there's no forgetting it. I'll always know that, underneath the hard, tough, slimy exterior, there's desire--desire to be something more. To be something genuine. To be something beautiful and worthwhile.
I know it's in you. I know it's in me. It's in everyone. All we need is to make a choice, for a single day...a single hour even...to block out the negatives with those glasses. Even if it just consists of writing a name on a grocery list and forcing ourselves to think of a minuscule positive. Let's not doom those around us to our negative gazes. God's given us an ability to look deeper. Let's not waste it.
...we only looked at the positives in other people for a single day?
Slide on a whole new set of glasses, just for a moment, to dim the brightness of the negatives. Yes, negatives are bright. Negatives are blinding. We tend to associate the word "negative" with negative words: dark, gloomy, unpleasant, mean, ugly. But in all reality, negatives are far brighter than positives. I know this, because it's not until I put on those sunglasses that I can see past the negatives. The positives may not be brighter, but they're far more beautiful. They take more choice to look at.
My dad: he's giving--selflessly and without reserve.
My mom: she cares about everyone with a sincere mother's heart.
My brother-in-law: he's selfless and genuine.
My older sister: she's fiercely protective of those she loves.
My younger brother: he's helpful, ready to drop what he's doing to do what needs doing.
My younger sister: she's good-hearted. If she sees an ounce of hurt, she looks for emotional and physical band-aids.
Choosing to look at the positives doesn't mean pretending the negatives don't exist--it's a + and - magnet, forever stuck to our refrigerator of life. I know there are negatives in my family members. I've grown up with them. But when I flip the magnet to the + side, it makes my heart swell with pride. I am reminded how good they are. I can't believe this is my family.
What if I did this with everyone? Even the people who are harder for me to love?
A boy in junior high may have tormented me for two years...but he loved to make others laugh. He loved to see people smile. And in the end, he apologized with true sincerity. He cared about others' well-being.
A girl I know may have stolen from those providing for her, but she relished companionship. She loved to be loved and she adored pouring quality time into others. A pastor I know may have left his congregation burning, but he loved his family with every ounce of his existence.
Sometimes negatives make us flare up. "Why should I look at her positives? She doesn't deserve it."
But do you deserve it? Don't you want people to see the positives in you? To know that there is more to you than your mistakes, your gloomy days, or your selfishness that always seems to pop out like a jack-in-the-box? Don't you want people to look for your heart? To know you have a heart?
Everyone has a heart. One of my favorite things to do is try and find it, because once I do--once I see that teensy glimpse in someone--there's no forgetting it. I'll always know that, underneath the hard, tough, slimy exterior, there's desire--desire to be something more. To be something genuine. To be something beautiful and worthwhile.
I know it's in you. I know it's in me. It's in everyone. All we need is to make a choice, for a single day...a single hour even...to block out the negatives with those glasses. Even if it just consists of writing a name on a grocery list and forcing ourselves to think of a minuscule positive. Let's not doom those around us to our negative gazes. God's given us an ability to look deeper. Let's not waste it.
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1 comment:
I needed to hear this today
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