PRESUME THE BEST

My free-floating thoughts this morning turned to the time I showed friendly to the nasty guy from my early morning meeting. He was surprised which changed his outward behavior from nasty to neutral, maybe his nasty thoughts to questioning, maybe to kind. I do not need to know, I can presume the best. His behavior upgraded when mine did is what I know.

Then I read Fr Richard Rohr's "Daily Meditation" in which Allen Dwight Callahan is quoted: Jesus has loved his followers so that they may love each other. Love calls for love in turn. Love makes love imperative....Perhaps we don’t want to hear these two commandments because we can never live up to them through our own efforts.

I maintain that we can never live up to them through our own efforts is the key. Our intention...to presume the best?...opens the door for God to flow, to go before us to make the crooked places straight. 

As I think about it, presume the best might be the go-to words for any and all incoming and outgoing

incidents, events, happenings and/or attitudes that comprise our life. For sure they beat assume the worst. 

Thank you.