“Think Celestial”
President Russell M. Nelson
Last week I asked, “Where do you put your focus during difficult times?” I talked about looking for the good after tragedy has occurred and how to focus on the incredible things people do to help each other, to focus on the goodness in people.
But sometimes when we are still in the middle of things, when the harm is directed towards us personally, when we are in the thick of it, how and why should we focus on the positive instead of the negative?
During the 2016 Democratic National Convention Michelle Obama uttered her famous line “When they go low, we go high!” Later she explained what she meant by that. She reported to Time Magazine “‘Going high’ doesn’t mean you don’t feel the hurt, or you’re not entitled to an emotion….It means that your response has to reflect the solution. It shouldn’t come from a place of anger or vengefulness.“
Many times in society we can be influenced by the lowest common denominator which is what most media content is directed towards these days.
The question becomes can we focus our responses to the craziness in the world, our daily thoughts and emotions on a higher, more celestial, vibration.
When we are in the middle of difficult times, we can choose to think and act from a higher ground, or a larger perspective, an eternal perspective.
President Russel M. Nelson last month said “When you are confronted with a dilemma, think celestial! When tested by temptation, think celestial! When life or loved ones let you down, think celestial! When someone dies prematurely, think celestial. When someone lingers with a devastating illness, think celestial. When the pressures of life crowd in upon you, think celestial! As you recover from an accident or injury, … think celestial!”
What does that mean to think celestial? It means to be more loving, compassionate, understanding, patient, kind, thoughtful, forgiving, grateful, vulnerable, or diligent in our responses. It means to look at things from a Divine Perspective.
The dilemma requires a thoughtful, prayerful, meditative response rather than making quick judgements and rushing into things.
Temptation to do something negative because we feel trapped by life’s circumstances, or fall back on our addictions to cope with a situation, requires vulnerability in asking for support and recognizing that we are not alone nor are we required to do all things on our own. People are there to help if we just ask.
When life or a loved one lets you down, that is time to look at what frailties and difficulties they are struggling with that hinders them from stepping up right now. It requires understanding, love, patience, forgiveness and the ability to not take it personally.
When a loved one dies, know that God loves you as much as the person who has passed. We will all need to pass on to the next life and we each have our own timing. He’s not punishing us or them. It’s okay to grieve their absence until we will be reunited with them again later.
Dealing with a devastating illness, yours or someone else’s illness, requires patience, love, compassion, understanding, thoughtfulness, and gratitude for those around you who are helping.
When the pressures of life crowd in on you, that is the time for perspective on what is most important, a divine perspective that God loves you no matter what, that you don’t have to do it alone, diligence in doing what needs to be done and gratitude for those who are there to help.
If your tendency in the past has been to go low, it may take a bit to change your trajectory, it won’t happen overnight, but going high a bit more everyday will eventually help you get closer to thinking and feeling celestial in your responses.
My invitation to you is to take stock of how you have responded to circumstances in the past and start looking for new more celestial ways to respond in the future.
What types of circumstances would you like to respond better to in the future?
“As I view others the way God sees them, with all their frailties and weaknesses as well as their strengths, I can learn to treat them tenderly, view them from God’s perspective: lovingly, tenderly and patiently with love and respect.”
Laura Lane from ‘I Touch the Heavens’