Be Aware, Quiet, Gentle and Grateful
The last time I posted, I introduced the idea that forgiveness is a journey. Every journey has a starting point. Most people decide to go on a journey. The journey of forgiveness is a journey you can decide to take. But what if you don’t feel ready? Is there anyway to prepare our hearts and our minds to begin the journey of forgiveness?
We covered a few hints last time:
- Be AWARE of what is unsettling you.
- Be QUIET and refrain from talking about others.
- Be GENTLE with yourself and put aside perfectionism.
- Be GRATEFUL.
Be BOLO for the Good
Yes, I enjoy all things CSI and Criminal Minds. In crime thrillers like these, the agents may put out a BOLO for a suspect. BOLO is shorthand for “Be On the Look Out” and refers to watching for a person of interest. We are on the look out for things every day, but sometimes we don’t notice.
Are you on the look out for poor drivers? Are you on the lookout for coworkers not pulling their weight? Are you on the lookout for any and all negative experiences that might possibly happen to you as you go throughout your day? We can get stuck seeing only the negative. We get so used to it, that we need something dramatic, like a big, vivid, double rainbow, or a GRAND GESTURE to move our needle to the positive side of the dial.
What if we started our day with a BOLO for examples of compassionate driving, small acts of kindness, gestures of humility, expressions of understanding? What if we took a moment and decided to search for the good in the world in our daily lives. Looking for people making unselfish choices and using gentle words. Being aware of the goodness around us (it is there, I promise). Our challenge is that we may have trouble believing we can replace our resentments with love if we don’t believe love is real. We can start believing by seeing the good that is around us.
BOLO for the Good in your life.
With gratitude,
Tim