Negativity must be nipped in the bud—that is to say, in the mind and in the emotions, or it will invariably lead to negative actions and behaviors. -- Fr. Richard Rohr, "Daily Meditation"
To many people nipping negativity in the bud is repeating affirmations endlessly. That is not necessarily nipping negativity, that is often piling on fear...the very fear of that which we are affirming against to begin with.
It is not negativity as such that must be stopped, it is fear...the fear that generates the negativity. Fear will ever be with us...thus we must needs learn how to accept fear as a fact of life not an option in life. There. That's the gut-bucket bottom line reason why we need God in our life...we cannot accept fear as a fact without going to the negative, and our own self will or want to cannot get us beyond that.
And here comes paradox ("Paradox on a Unicorn" I call it, but that's just me) to save our day.
Learning and living the power of paradox gives us the ability to bear darkness and uncertainty. According to me, the very first lesson of paradox is accepting that our only prayer need ever be "thank you." Thank you for whatever comes to us in our life...and especially when we dread what we see coming.
It is not affirmations that we need in order to keep the dreaded away...it is an open invitation to the dreaded to come on in, pass on through, get on down the road. "Thank you" is our magic potion...it wipes out resistance, leaving only gratitude behind.
Gratitude and grace are God gifts...all we need do is accept them.
Thank you.
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