Dear Friends,
One of my best friends from my high school years once commented that we had both gotten into a lot of trouble, but that while she had gone out looking for trouble, trouble seemed to find me all on its own. In retrospect, I don't think this was true. I think instead that I was just less willing to take responsibility for my choices than she was. At that time, we both struggled with depression. And I think the reality was that, once feeling down became habitual, I tended to look for ways to reinforce my negative feelings and excuses to wallow in them. One way to think about this is that feeling bad is sometimes more pleasant than feeling nothing.
Recently, I've been reflecting on the theme of goodness in the Bible, and I came across this proverb,
Whoever seeks good finds favor,
but evil comes to the one who searches for it.
- Proverbs 11:27
and a similar one
Do not those who plot evil go astray?
But those who plan what is good find love and faithfulness.
- Proverbs 14:22
It is important, when it comes to proverbs, not to assume what they assert is true in every case. The point here is not that trouble is always one's own fault, which would be an erroneous and extremely hurtful conclusion! But as a general rule, more often than not, if someone is looking for good, they will find it. And if someone is looking for bad, they will find that as well.
These days, I seem to be surrounded by goodness. I find love and faithfulness all around me all the time. I think a significant part of what has changed since the days my friend was speaking of is simply what I am looking to find. I expect to find goodness, and I find what I expect. I plan to do things that are good, and I find happiness in them. This didn't happen overnight. It took a long time to break old habits and develop new ones. The mind forms deep grooves in the places our thoughts go again and again over time. And it takes time to form new ones.
One habit that has been especially helpful has been to start every morning with scripture before getting out of bed. I often just read one sentence or one stanza like one of the proverbs above. I read the same passage every day for a week. Each morning, I take some time to ruminate on it and to invite the Holy Spirit to shape me through it and to submit my day to God before I do anything else. Some days I spend as much as an hour. Some days I have to rush out the door, and I take just a single minute. I take the time that is available or that seems right, whether it is long or short. But I don't skip days, and I don't do anything else first. This practice shapes my days and has brought great peace and joy into my life. If you'd like to see more goodness in your life, I recommend you try the same. Start with something about Jesus like John's gospel or the Sermon on the Mount. Don't worry about how much time you have or whether you are doing it right. Just read, reflect, and invite the Spirit to work in you. I suspect that soon you too will find more and more that is good all around you.
A prayer for today:
Holy Spirit, be at work in what I am looking for. Cause me to look for what is good and to turn my time, efforts, and even thoughts toward what is good. Let me see and experience more of your goodness every day. Amen.
Love in Christ,
Michelle
