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POWER OF GOODNESS "I know who you are: the Holy One of God". Jesus' response: "Be quiet. Come out of him", is a good retort for us to remember in the days and months ahead. The U.S. and World economies are a mess. More unemployment looms ahead as well as sad news in stock exchanges, housing, retail, cars, etc. You name it and doomsdayers are predicting it! God, creating us, gave us power and authority, "a little less than the angels (Ps 8)". Some of us will have the authority and ingenuity to recreate a positive economy as well as peace where there is hatred and violence. All of us have the power to look for goodness and positive happenings instead of dwelling with naysayers. A TV story in Nebraska last week spoke of a woman whose car was broken into and her old camera with family pictures was stolen. During a TV interview she spoke of how much those pictures meant to her family. The thief left a package for the reporter and, you guessed it, returned the camera. We can dwell on the increased robberies happening with the economic downturn, or we can choose to look for "power of goodness events". Norman Vincent Peale wrote a powerful book,"The Power of Positive Thinking", many years ago. His recognition of a positive attitude has been confirmed by psychologists as a healthy lifestyle and a great stress reducer. Rather than being pollyannish, we see reality, look for hope and try to be positive about possible outcomes. You and I, Jesus' followers, and good will people of all faiths, have big challenges these next months and years. Our cultures need to become more proactive with healthy changes. We begin with ourselves. Let's be hopeful people instead of trapped in fear. Our good energy, our positive thinking, our working together to create "a Better World" begins NOW. |