Utilizing Sympathy and Empathy in Historical Analysis - Part Three

Utilizing Sympathy and Empathy in Historical Analysis

Part Three

For anyone who disagrees, the burden of history with the hard facts delineated above challenges you to consider if you could have chosen realistically to assume custody of those seven grandchildren.  Switch places with the maternal grandmother and genuinely ascertain whether you could have assumed the responsibility of eleven children in your early sixties.  If you were confronted with a similar and contemporary dilemma, would you be able to say “Yes?”  If you are a spouse and parent, whether you agree with the maternal grandmother’s decision, presumably you can sympathize if not empathize with her.  In November 1967, life’s complexities coerce you in deciding whether you will double the size of your family without any additional resources.  These emotionally intense conditions are compounded by your oldest daughter’s incapacities; you wonder whether you are abandoning these children a second time.  Will they hate your daughter and you? 

Pragmatically and practically, does it make sense to assume an obligation that you are unsure whether you can meet it?  The social and cultural milieu in which you were reared and reside insist that you have unconditional faith in Almighty God who will provide faithfully were you to say “Yes.”  However, you must wrestle with the inflexible and wooden facts which are not in your favor.  You sense your son-in-law is constitutionally incapable of returning to assume custody of the children as he fervently declares he will.  If you say “Yes,” you are committing the balance of your natural life to rearing another family beginning in your sixties.  Will anyone really understand the authenticity of your answer? 

Heretofore, one of the seven grandchildren actually assumed his maternal grandmother was as indifferent to the pain and suffering of his siblings and him.  If asked, he venomously quipped, “She didn’t give a damn about us either.”  Conversely, with forty five years of distance from the experience inclusive of seventeen years of marriage and fourteen years as a parent of two children, he presently feels substantial sympathy and empathy towards his maternal grandmother.  As he emotionally detaches from his unrequited personal pain and depersonalizes the experience through the prism of marriage and fatherhood, he sympathizes and even empathizes with his maternal grandmother.  He realizes he probably would have done exactly what she did.  If challenged with a parallel situation today, he does not know if he could assume such a tremendous responsibility albeit he possesses a stalwart faith in God’s unquestionable faithfulness.

The preceding personal interlude instructs students of history to lessen the forthrightness and ferocity of their analyses of past events.  Like the grandson who arrogantly judged his maternal grandmother over the course of many years, contemporary students of history superfluously believe in their moral superiority when compared with any litany of historical crimes and scandals.  Each subsequent generation deludes itself into believing they would have made more just and moral decisions than their forebears.  Ponder the historical judgments of future generations when they evaluate the use of economic resources, technology, science, the sole superpower status of the United States and her increasingly religious, racial, ethnic and cultural pluralism in the second half of the twentieth century and the first quarter of the twenty-first century.  The “Iron Curtain” fell decisively and irretrievably in 1990.  Communism failed without question as a means of maintaining a state and creating flourishing society in which the average citizen enjoys life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.  Rather than foster relationships with Middle Eastern countries and Third World nations that furthered democracy and individual freedoms, the United States arguably sought economic and cultural imperialism as she strove for control of oil reserves and an unfair advantage in the global market.  Domestically, the last decade of the twentieth century, “The Clinton Years,” was the most prosperous era in human history as no other people have enjoyed the riches and blessings of money, technology, science and political power relative to their historical context. 

Utilizing Sympathy and Empathy in Historical Analysis - Part Four

Utilizing Sympathy and Empathy in Historical Analysis

Part Four

Yet, there is not one single social or political dilemma that the United States resolved given the seemingly limitless resources at her disposal.  Women still die of breast cancer at alarming rates in this prosperous nation which appears to lack the moral and ethical character to distribute its resources to benefit its most vulnerable citizens.  At the dawn of a new millennium, possibly intractable arrogance and incivility in American international policy contributed to the insanity that yielded the terrorist attacks on the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on 11 September 2001.  A protracted war of more than a decade costing more than ten trillion dollars and creating longstanding deficits of greater sums was the reaction of the Bush Administration.  There is not a single social ill to which the United States has ever committed similar resources. 

Notwithstanding her premiere status in the world, the United States lags behind as it relates to public education, public healthcare and other societal challenges relative to the resources of other countries and their use of them.  Future historians may justifiably and harshly condemn this current generation of American citizens for formulating and financing a culture of individual and collective narcissism.

Summarily, as we mature spiritually and develop personally, extending unconditional forgiveness towards anyone and everyone who harmed us is a necessity step in achieving wellness, authenticity, integrity, healing and wholeness.  These enduring riches of life will not emerge in the life of anyone who intractably refuses to forgive.  Instead, he or she will suffer greatly with resentment, bitterness and strife.  Those emotional and psychological toxins eventually poison a person’s heart and mind.  An existential and spiritual death results albeit the continuance of physical life. 

Nevertheless, a very helpful, pragmatic and practical method of attaining forgiveness is detailing the hard, raw and complex facts that influenced the decisions of the people who harmed us.  If we switch places with them, perhaps we discover that we would have chosen similarly.  Should we maintain that we would have made more moral, ethical and just choices, can we authentically posit that we possess the courage and character to defeat personal fears and selfish ambitions.  Conceivably, were we in parallel circumstances, we would have done exactly what our perpetrators did.  Acknowledging this stark reality affords us the divine, gracious and compassion opportunity to sympathize or even empathize with the people who harmed us.  As we extend this generosity toward them, we assuredly forgive them following the example of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who prays on the cross, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.”

Serena Williams' Impressive Example of Perseverance and Graciousness

Serena Williams’ Impressive Example of 

Perseverance and Graciousness

One of the highlights of a recent vacation was my ability and leisure to watch the women’s singles final at this Wimbledon tournament.  Since September 1999 when she won her first major tournament, the U. S. Open, as an enthusiastic, tireless, relenting and hungry seventeen year old competitor with tremendous potential to become one of greatest tennis players, Serena Williams has been one of my athletic and personal heroes.  Commencing her climb to the summits of professional tennis on warped, neglected and seriously deficient courts in Compton, California which the average player and fan of her sport would avoid like the plague, Serena most definitely has pulled herself up by her own bootstraps.  Blending the broad brush strokes of Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged, the Horatio Algiers’ motif of rags to riches, the myth of the American dream and the self-made person with the particularities of the historical dilemmas of race, class and gender, Williams’ compelling story of triumph encourages and empowers anyone with heartfelt dreams and goals.  As a consequence, it was with great joy that I watched her play this year and win the Wimbledon singles titles two years after a blood clot in her lungs almost took her life.  Although she previously won this most prestigious title of international professional tennis four times, this win held extraordinary meaning with particular gratitude for the ability to achieve it.

Interestingly, Williams played superlatively throughout Wimbledon 2012.  She set a record for aces.  Her renowned and feared service was as phenomenal as ever exceeding previous speeds and accuracy.  Her opponents rarely broke her serve.  In fact, they had to contemplate seriously how they would return the ball considering its force, velocity and precision.  Continually, I marvel at her ability to put the ball just inside the line.  When an opponent requests a review of a call, Williams wins the decision in most instances.  The aces are just inside line.  Her opponents barely have a chance to decide how to return the serve.  Her finesses and maturity demonstrates an important lesson of hard-hitting athletics, specifically, and other forms of competition, generally.  One competes fundamentally with one’s self.  You know internally whether you are competing at your highest level of potential and capability.  Beyond the internationally ranked and superlative opponents she faced, Williams challenges herself to exceed yesterday’s victories.  Perhaps, as she played this year’s tournament, she fought against the danger of ignominiously ending her career via an unexpected, unimaginable and debilitating health threat two years ago.  She competed to defeat the understandable depression, self-pity and despair that potentially combined to write “Finis” on the canvass of her storied tennis career.

During the ceremonies in which a member of the British royal family presented the Ladies Singles Trophy from the All England Lawn Club where tennis began, Williams spoke of ordeal.  Her voice cracked and salty tears equitably flowed as Williams contrasted the summits of winning Wimbledon again with the unpromising isolation and mental paralysis of her recuperation two years ago.  First, she thanked Jehovah, the god of her understanding, upbringing and experience for divine grace and permission in allowing her to recover, play and win.  She then expressed heartfelt and touching gratitude to her parents, siblings and other well-wishers and supporters who watched the match in her box.  Their love and support fueled her determination to play again.  Especially, she offered personal gratitude to her older sister who stayed by Serena’s bedside during the long days and even bleaker nights of her hospitalization.  The compassion of faithful presence defies description as its worth is incalculable in the mind and heart of its recipient. 

As it relates to her sister and fellow tennis professional, Venus, Serena jokingly noted that she tied her older sister’s record with five Wimbledon championships of her own.  “I have always wanted to follow Venus in whatever she does.”  In thanking her parents, she gave them tremendous credit as they continually believe in her and her ability to return to the sport she loves.  Essentially, Williams utilized a period for congratulations to demonstrate the powerful love of family and friends as it relates to cultivating perseverance.

Seminal honors rarely emerge in anyone’s life without affection, affirmation and assistance from people who comprise a team of family and friends.  A pitcher in Major League Baseball cannot attain a “no hitter” game without the professional play and assistance of his teammates.  Quarterbacks who obtain “MVP” designations in the Super Bowl do so because of the hard work of their teammates on the offensive line.  Winners of the best actor and best actress Oscars are integral members of a cast.  Whether on a baseball diamond, football field, set of a block buster movies or the most exalted tennis court in the world, Centre Court at Wimbledon, perseverance depends greatly on this significant relational network.  Whereas a person must learn to encourage and empower himself or herself as he or she doggedly pursues heartfelt dreams and personal ambitions, the affection and affirmation of family and friends essential to achievement, success and excellence.  Williams’ victory remarks reflect the invaluable collective contribution of a support network within personal perseverance.

Still, I admire her individual determination to recuperate and return to tennis.  Her illness and subsequent isolation must have felt like a precipitous drop from the summit of her profession.  One day, she is ranked number one in the world; has won all of the four major tournaments; and begun a fashion and jewelry line in addition to buying shares of ownership in a professional football team as she embraces irreversibly her burgeoning celebrity.  Another day, she wakes up in a post-operative recovery room to learn she nearly lost her death and has a long road to recovery before her.  Will she play tennis again professionally?  Will she be able to compete to the superlative degree she had heretofore? Many of these questions occupied her mind as she lay on the couch during a glacial recuperative period. 

Fighting on a mental court, Serena relentlessly countered the crippling mental, emotional and psychological adversity that would have assuredly terminated her career.  She faithfully undertook the hard regimen of physical therapy and training necessary to restore her competitive excellence.  Within two years, she leaves the valley of the shadow of death and ascends back to the pinnacle of victory where the view is fascinating and limitless.  Her remarkable journey from a near death experience to a fifth Wimbledon title reminds me of a paraphrase of quote by President Richard M. Nixon about defeat, resilience and victory.  “Unless you have traveled the valleys of darkness and defeat and disappointment and sorrow, you can never really appreciate the joys and happiness of the vistas of victory.”

Serena Williams' Impressive Example of Perseverance and Graciousness Part Two

Serena Williams’ Impressive Example of 

Perseverance and Graciousness

Part Two

Serena Williams concluded her Wimbledon 2012 victory remarks with words of praise for her opponent, Agnieszka Radwanska.  Williams asked the audience to give Radwanska a round of applause given her tough competitive edge and steel performance in the finals match.  As I listened, I was very impressed by Williams’ graciousness towards Radwanska.  Actually, throughout her interviews during Wimbledon 2012, Serena offered many gracious comments and descriptions relating to the play of her opponents.  Her graciousness and genuineness simply seeped off the television screen.  Serena’s humility and kindness were borne substantially of her recent health and personal challenges.  Yet, her words remind me of the importance of considering someone else particularly in good times.  Coaches advise athletes to use “I” statements when assessing defeat and failure and “We” statements when explaining a win.  Similarly, a superlative player like Serena Williams can appreciate the expertise, discipline and hard work of an opponent even when her play reaches consummate heights.  Her graciousness reflects her true standing as a tennis champion.

My admiration of Serena Williams extends in equal measure to her father, Richard Williams, who is her coach.  The journey from substandard public tennis courts in Compton, California to Wimbledon inclusive of stops in Melbourne, Australia, Paris, Francis and Flushing Meadows, New York began as a dream in his mind and heart.  He deserves credit as the pioneer of the Williams tennis dynasty which has won ten of the last thirteen Wimbledon titles.  His stalwart support of both of his daughters despite a very public divorce from their mother and the tragic death of one of their older sisters is very commendable.  His pivotal role in laying the foundation for Serena’s and Venus’ success is an impressive example of good parenting.  Cynically, one could suggest he lives vicariously through them.  More reasonably, one concludes he graciously and perhaps providentially saw their potential with the eyes of his heart and devoted his time and talents to encouraging and empowering them to actualize their divine gifts and potential.  When future sports historians record this era of professional tennis, assuredly they will grant him more than a footnote in any analysis or summary of his daughters unparalleled careers.  Beyond the dedication and faithfulness of a loving and supportive father who catapulted his daughters to fame and excellence, he indirectly expanded the horizons of countless aspiring athletes for generations to come.

A final quality of perseverance and graciousness that I celebrate in Serena Williams and her family is their refusal to allow race to define or limit them.  Throughout the nearly fourteen years she has played professionally, I have never heard her discuss race as a factor in her game.  I can only imagine some of the remarks players, their families and fans have made since the time the Williams sisters assumed dominance of professional tennis.  I also cannot believe they have not heard some of these derogatory comments in the locker room, hallway or on the court.  However, they have not allowed anything negative to affect them.  They focused with equivocation on exceeding their prior performance.  The irrelevant opinions and uninformed thoughts of other people do not matter.  Still, they retain their poise and elegance in interviews and off the court.  I greatly desire more of this internal resolve and chutzpah.  Self-acceptance and confidence do not result necessarily in arrogance or haughtiness.  Serena’s ability in exceling despite the triple historical burdens of race, gender and class without defining herself through this prism is an incredible example of self-assurance for anyone pursuing heartfelt dreams against tremendous odds.  She personifies how graciousness and perseverance are the means of success.

I hope Serena maintains the incline of her ascension back to the number one ranking.  As she prepares for the next chapter of her life considering she is thirty years old, conceivably she will commit to sharing her success with young aspirants in tennis.   Sharing time, talents, treasure and temperament with children and youth is one of the most effect ways of influencing the future.  Deposits within their minds, hearts and characters last for a lifetime.  Moreover, teachers, coaches and other role models indirectly influence anyone whom their students teach, coach and mentor.  In addition to sharing her secrets of service, aces, volley returns, analyzing an opponent, exploiting other players’ weaknesses and many other effective techniques for winning, Serena Williams will be able to teach future tennis players and other athletes the codes and character of genuine sportsmanship.  Undoubtedly, she will tell them acquiring these attributes begins with developing perseverance in difficult times and showing graciousness at all times.

Eliminating Negative Thinking - Philippians 4:4-9

Eliminating Negative Thinking – Philippians 4:4-9

The town of Sleepy Hollow unexpectedly experiences its biggest and unimaginable commotion.  The antecedent of this ruckus actually is a daily and impromptu stroll between Mr. Lie and Mr. Truth.  Loud, boisterous, vociferous and loquacious, the former gentleman dresses impeccably with fine designer “knock offs” which he buys at TJ Maxx, Marshalls, Filene’s Basement or various outlets.  Notwithstanding his challenging demeanor, many people who encounter Mr. Lie are seduced by his fashionable and striking outward appearance.  They confuse the volume with which he speaks with authority and certitude.  Coupled with his near original designer clothing, they succumb to the easy temptation of believing his every word.  In a very clear but subtle contrast, Mr. Truth wears authentic designer clothes but without any “bling,” accessories or ostentation.  Many people inadvertently and haphazardly ignore him despite the clarity and reliability of his character.  Nonetheless, these two gentlemen have a chance encounter one morning and end up walking together toward the town of Sleepy Hollow. 

As they travel along the road, they discuss their clear differences about any number of life’s pressing questions.  As the noon sun rises to the middle of the sky and this summer day’s temperatures rise accordingly, they near a large pond.  Mr. Lie suggests they stop and take a skinny dip to escape the heat and refresh themselves.  Mr. Truth complies with this seemingly harmless suggestion.  Once in the water, Mr. Lie silently and secretly begins to covet Mr. Truth’s clothes as Mr. Lie recognizes authenticity when he sees it.  Encouraging Mr. Truth to dip more deeply, Mr. Lie slides away while Mr. Truth is under water.  Mr. Lie steals Mr. Truth’s clothes and heads quickly toward Sleepy Hollow.  Within a quarter of an hour of Mr. Lie’s stealthy departure, Mr. Truth discovers he has been duped.  Furiously, he jumps out of the pond and dashes immediately to Sleepy Hollow.  Upon his arrival, Mr. Truth creates the hugest disturbance ever experienced by the residents of this quaint, rustic, austere and rural town of picturesque dawns, glacial social changes and reflective sunsets.  On this late afternoon as the townspeople gathered in the saloon on the far end of town, they heard this resounding disturbance.  Butt-naked and wailing like a banshee let out of hell, Mr. Truth came screeching, protesting and demanding his clothes back!  Bewildered and awestruck, the refined citizens of Sleepy Hollow stood motionless as they had never encountered the butt-naked truth before.

I hope the preceding story motivates you to accept a raw and naked truth which most people uncritically accept as they attend to their daily affairs.  Most people surrender to negative patterns of thinking without considering an alternative.  We expect negative circumstances to emerge.  We prepare for negative consequences to our choices.  We do not wish to be caught off guards and unawares if something adverse were to occur.  Let’s test my hypothesis about this very normal and human tendency.  Do you have a plan for prosperity?  If you won the lottery or inherited an unexpected sum of money, do you have a plan to maximize this good fortune?  How often are you afraid you will lose something or someone you greatly value?  Do you live with persistent anxiety about money, job security, relationships, health, or your future?  When you contemplate the future, do you expect success and excellence?  Instead, do you simply hope by some mysterious magic or stroke of good luck you will fulfill your dreams and achieve your goals?  Simply, are you better prepared to respond to failure than you are ready to maximize upon success?

At traffic lights, do dangerous scenarios of fatal accidents speed across the horizon of your mind?  Do you begin to sweat profusely when you check your daily mail or online bank accounts?  Do you apply for jobs and other opportunities with a foreboding feeling that you are wasting your time and effort?  Are you able to rebound from disappointments and failures with periods of paralysis and negativity?  Have you made debt a way of life feeling hopeless to live without charging and accumulating more unsecured debt?  Do you have difficulty in throwing things away even when you purchase new items to replace them?  If yes, how long have you been living in lack as you wear excessively mended clothes and cracked shoes?  Does fear invade your loving relationships?  Do you often dread the possibility that the people who are nearest and dearest to your heart will leave suddenly and shockingly?  Does the sum of these negative thoughts consume ninety percent or more of your mental energy? Probably, you are most prone to intractable negative thinking.

As a descendant of African Americans who grew up the century and a half following the end of chattel slavery in the South within a context of segregation and poverty, I marvel at the extreme limitations of this milieu.  Crippling the soul, poverty paralyzes imagination, destroys dreams, limits the world and impedes progress.  Its cumulative and constant affect is ingrained negative thinking which becomes a way of life.  Success in life depends significantly upon whether a person can win an internal struggle to overcome this prevalent mental, emotional and spiritual dilemma.  As a mature personally and grow spiritually in the afternoon of my life, I am dumbfounded by how extensively negative ideas influenced my life heretofore.  Like Charlie Brown who refuses to believe he will ever receive a fair chance to pitch in a baseball game, I had an extremely hard time believing life would grant me a well-deserved opportunity to achieve my potential.  However, I hasten to juxtapose this cultural and contextual negativity with an equally entrenched faith in Almighty God and myself.  At any moment, I fluctuate between these polar opposites. 

Eliminating Negative Thinking - Philippians 4:4-9 - Part Two

Eliminating Negative Thinking – Philippians 4:4-9

Part Two

Most regrettably, I must confess negative thinking heretofore has been a perpetual way of life for me.  With Almighty God’s incredible and unending grace within the last few years, I have begun a substantial paradigm shift.  In accordance with Psalm 27:13, I wholeheartedly expect to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.  Whereas I do believe in an immeasurable and indefinable eternal reward for disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ, I no longer expect to wait for the afterlife to receive it.  As the “Giver of every good and perfect gift,” He will impart graciously components of His rewards in this life.  Eliminating negative thinking is a primary step in preparation for receipt of these divine gifts and favor.

Interestingly, some psychologists and psychiatrists posit an unfair expectation of some segments of society that people from poor and oppressed backgrounds are equipped psychically to withstand greater emotional and existential burdens.  A former First Lady of the United States unfortunately remarked, when assessing the challenging conditions of Hurricane Katrina survivors who were living temporarily in the Superdome, they seemed happy as they are used to dealing with rough living.  Her harsh comments indicate that these people could afford experientially to wait for whatever assistance, government or otherwise, they would receive.  After all, they live a simple life with few frills.  Her assumptions allude to the negative thinking, with which many people live as they limit themselves to minimal enjoyments or interests.  Poor and oppressed are afraid to expect anything from life.  It is safer to settle for basic necessities in the cheapest forms as they will not disappoint.  Nevertheless, this outlook stipulates an unfair expectation for poor and oppressed people to accommodate themselves easily to the life’s hardships.

Although many people have surmounted poverty and political oppression, they still linger in the squalor of negative thinking.  Similar to residents of public housing, trailer parks and rural board houses, these people adjust to whatever adverse circumstances arise each day.  They surrender their hopes and dreams to life’s most formidable enemies, fear and negativity.

Writing to his most beloved church in Philippi, Paul offers effective techniques for eliminating negative thinking in this brief passage.  First, he instructs them to Rejoice in the Lord always.”  Music always comforts and empowers; “[it] soothes the savage beast.”  Regardless of any day’s trials and tribulations, the right music can help you overcome them.  Periods of praise and worship encourage us to see our Heavenly Father as awesome and amazing.  As we offer praise with thanksgiving, we realize He is much greater than any obstacles or adversary we face.  However, our praise of Him does not depend upon our circumstances.  It should be equal in good and bad times as He remains unquestionably faithful regardless of our situation or setting.  Hence, Paul directs the Philippian Christians to rejoice all the time whether on days of rain or sunshine.  In the Greek, the word, rejoice, means literally spinning ecstatically irrespective of your surroundings.  Paul reiterates his directive, “I will say it again: Rejoice!”

Second, at the time of Paul’s letter, the Church expected the imminent return and Second Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Some disciples forewent marriage and other earthly concerns as they relegated them to being essentially and eternally meaningless were the Lord to return within a few years.  As “the Lord is near,” the Philippians were to be gentle and caring with everyone with the objective of winning as many people as possible to the Lord.  They emphasis upon saving souls prevented them from entertaining life’s daily negativity as they looked forward to a joyous eternity.  Actually, it helps sometimes to assess the eternal worth of your problems.  Usually, they pale greatly in comparison with the rewards, rejoicing and righteousness of eternity.

Third, Paul simply and explicitly condemns anxiety and negativity.  “Do not be anxious about anything.”  Below, I offer a few practical techniques for eliminating negative thinking.  Yet, Paul states the fundamental and primary necessity of annihilating negative thinking.  Despite where you began life, you cannot progress toward your dreams and goals if you perpetually entertain and nurse doubt, skepticism and complaints.  That mentality questions God’s character as it indicts His past faithfulness.  Is He really able to assist me as I struggle with today’s major challenge?  Negative thinking disregards the biblical promise of divine provision of every need and our Heavenly Father’s sworn testimony through Jesus Christ that He will never leave or forsake us.  We are not helpless and powerless in any situation.  God does no abandon us like orphans left in a crowded public area without any clue.  As His love is unfailing and His faithfulness unquestionable, we have absolutely no need to be anxious about anything we experience.

“In everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”  Prayer and meditation are the most effective means of eliminating negative thoughts.  A cardinal spiritual discipline, prayer allows us to speak frankly, honestly, freely and openly with our Heavenly Father about our feelings, desires, needs and problems.  We petition Him for wisdom, guidance, peace and resolution.  A victim of perpetual sexual molestation, incest and abuse, Celie, one of the main characters in Alice Walker’s The Color Purple, talks with God about her predicament in a very raw manner.  A colleague once shared his need to swear openly and loudly toward the nighttime heavenly skies in order to ensure God heard him.  Hopefully, we can dispense with religious rituals and other formalities as we pray.  Legalisms about prayer such as the physical posture in which a person prays, the length of the prayer or the order of the wording and requests often detracts significantly from the empowerment and encouragement of this essential spiritual practice. 

Eliminating Negative Thinking - Philippians 4:4-9 - Part Three

Eliminating Negative Thinking – Philippians 4:4-9

Part Three

The other side of this divine conversation is meditation in which we listen to the Holy Spirit as He answers our inquiries and requests.  Our Heavenly Father desires to grant us His loving wisdom and guidance.  Regrettably, we fail to listen as we will not allow the Lord to impart His answer.  Has a relative or friend ever called you seeking your counsel? When this person finally pauses, you begin to share your perspective and offer feedback only to be interrupted rudely by an overly anxious person who talks a mile a minute and need to vent.  We respond to our Heavenly Father in a similar manner.  Fear, doubt and panic permeate our minds and hearts.  Accordingly, we do not allow Him to get a word in edgewise.  However, when we do, He lovingly and graciously surprises us with His infinite compassion and amazing counsel.  In many instances, we realize we are always in His protection and care; thus we need not fret or worry.  Meditation upon His perfect past provision and care equips us to look for its continuance despite the shifting sands of time.  He remains the same yesterday, today and forever.  In moments of silent meditation, we hear His caring voice and feel His loving presence. 

Incidentally, our petitions should be as specific as possible.  God rarely deals with generalities.  His perfect knowledge of our situation yields an equally ideal response.  Ask for exactly what you need!  Bottom line your request.  Have you had the experience of having to pull a request out of someone?  It is evident what they want and need.  They stall and hint hoping you will state their exact need as an indirect way of volunteering to meet it.  Whereas these tactics offend us because the people who make the requests should know us well enough to ask directly, they also offend the holy and loving character of our Heavenly Father who possesses perfect knowledge of our circumstances and loves us unfailingly.  Ask specifically.  Seek diligently.  Knock loudly.

Gratitude is the polar opposite of negativity.  Each remembrance of thanksgiving removes the temptation to fret over things we do not have.  Being thankful is the surest means of always seeing the proverbial glass as half full rather than half empty.  “Gratitude in the attitude” is a wise saying which recommends that we train our minds and hearts to look for something for which to be grateful in every occurrence.  Recently, a cancer survivor shared with our First and Third Tuesday Prayer Meeting that she was grateful for every difficult day on which she was sick and could eat or rest because it was another day in the land of the living and one closer to the healing she eventually received.  An attorney friend who underwent open heart by-pass surgery late last fall shares his gratitude of being spared a heart attack which would have damaged irretrievably his heart muscle and possibly ended his life.  Embedded in the endings of job loss, broken engagements, career ending injuries, divorce and even death are new unimaginable beginnings that emerge through the lenses of thanksgiving.  Simply stated, gratitude enables a person to accentuate the positive and resist the tendency to dwell upon negative factors.

Divine peace annihilates negative thoughts as head and heart agree to seek and implement God’s will.  In fact, God’s presence and His shalom prevents anxiety, fear and negativity from invading a disciple’s mind or heart.  The Greek words that Paul uses in this passage paint a vivid picture of a sentinel standing guard at all hours of the day and night.  No one enters the gates of the palace without identifying himself and being granted permission.   Should someone possibly evade the watchman and armed guard, the latter person shouts loudly, “Halt, who goes there?”  If the guard receives any threat of force or further resistance, he fires his weapon to neutralize and even annihilate this potential danger to himself and the people who he protects.  Afterwards, he arrests the assailant and arranges a proper adjudication of his violation.  The Holy Spirit performs a similar function for disciples as He imparts remembrances of our Heavenly Father’s unconditional and unfailing love and faithful provision.  These reflections equate with firing rounds ammunition to eliminate threats to our well-being.  He impedes the beginnings and development of negativity.  Further, the Holy Spirit reassures us of the Father’s gracious gift of divine power as He comforts us as we overcome these mental, emotional and spiritual tests.  In Latin, the word, comfort, is a combination of cum (with) and fortis (power or fortitude).  Practically, the Holy Spirit comes to us with spiritual dynamite and godly wisdom to assist us in resolving our daily dilemmas.

Additionally, Paul says God’s peace surpasses human understanding.  It does not lend itself to religious formulas and clichés.  Living is peace is not merely the absence of emotional turmoil.  Rather, it is the presence of security, stability and blessed assurance in both head and heart.  Completing a detailed pros and cons lists with a majority of favorable factors does not yield peace when making a paramount decision relating to love, work, health or finances.  Usually, determining whom to marry, which house to buy, whether to accept a job offer, when to move or any number of other main choices is a matter of attaining peace.  How do you know if you are making the right decision?  Certainly, examining the financial, relational, political, spiritual and personal implications for a reasonable and satisfactory answer is necessary.  Yet, a logical evaluation in and of itself will not grant divine peace.  Intellectually, all circumstances may appear fine yet you may still have a foreboding feeling.  Is this the right decision for me and my family?  You cannot experience God’s peace and personal angst simultaneously.  Pay attention to the internal questions and voice. 

Ask our Heavenly Father for His wisdom and guidance in which He will reveal previously undisclosed facts and hidden variables.  His mystical, magnificent and mysterious orchestration of our daily affairs resolves all challenges, provides every need and imparts His peace.  In my move from Nashville, TN to Cambria Heights, NY to accept my current pastorate, Almighty God perfectly coordinated every single detail.  Literally, everything my family and I needed for this move was given exactly when we needed.  In the two years since the move, by God’s grace we have “lived into the move” and proactively affirmed our decision.  Hence, we know with the Lord’s assurance that we made the right decision.  Our hearts and minds maintain symmetry of peace as we daily express gratitude for God’s peace as we moved one thousand and eight hundred miles to a new place for our children as they near adolescence and my mother-in-law as she faces the challenges of her autumn years.  Simple rationality would not have sufficed to yield the blessed quietness we feel.