Pandemic. Cancellations. Unprecedented. Social distancing. Shelter in place. Postponements.
Words and terms that meant nothing to us only a couple of weeks ago. Did just reading that make you tense? Worried? I understand. There is much to be concerned about these days.
If you allow yourself to get lost in it, your future tripping is likely to cause you a great deal of anxiety. So today I want you to reframe your thoughts and try, as best you can to not focus on the future. By and large, it is out of your control. What you can control is today. How you act, how you react, and how you seek to make a difference in your life and the lives of others.
My aim and my intention today and every day to stay positive, to be encouraging and to exude positivity no matter what is going on around me. I suspect that you desire to do the same, which has led you to this post. That being the case, let’s focus today on how we can do that.
As I often encourage people, both through my book, Mustard Seed Faith, and my free BAM eBook, we need to begin by changing our thoughts to focus more on others than ourselves. Obviously, social distancing is making physical contact and meetings impossible, however, I am greatly encouraged by the creativity I see happening throughout our society for new ways to reach out to people in need.
I am convinced more than ever that it is up to people like us to live with an abundance mentality and to share our abundance with others. That may sound funny in a time where economies are shutting down, people are losing jobs and stock markets are crashing. But there we go again, worrying about the future. Instead, let’s look at what we do have today that cannot and will not ever be taken away from us.
The first thing that comes to my mind is kindness. It is something we all can share and now more than ever need to share. If you, for any reason, feel like kindness is not something you have to share, then I would direct you to gratitude first. Take a few minutes, or longer and write down in a journal or on a piece of paper all that you have to be grateful for. I bet within a few minutes you can fill up a page.
Out of a heart of gratitude, manifested into acts of kindness, you and we can be a blessing to those around us. I have a friend whose daughter is sending homemade greeting cards to elderly people shut into their retirement communities. I am reading stories around the world of people donating time, talents and money to aid those in need and those on the front lines of caring for the sick.
You may not think that what you can do will really make a difference in the world, however, I would challenge you to consider that what you do, even if it is only for one person, may make a world of difference to that person. If enough of us do that, we will make a difference, one person at a time.
QUESTION: What kindness, or what gift can you share with another this week? Share your comments below and like and share this post with others who need encouragement this week.
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Thanks Eric. Very encouraging thoughts. As a Christian, we have an eternal hope that allows us to also have right-here, right-now, hope as well. Jesus came to give us hope that regardless of what is happening in the world around us that He is the only true hope. Once our eternal salvation is secure, then, and only then, can we find true peace and hope here on earth. I encourage each of us as Christians to share the Good News of Jesus Christ every day and in every way to a world that is desperately seeking hope in the midst of this global coronavirus disaster.