who do you focus on?

The news lately: massacre in Orlando, Florida. Gorilla harms child. Alligator snatches child from shallow water in Disney World. Paris under attack. Terrorists everywhere....

Are you becoming exhausted...no place to turn, no sanctuary to call safe?

"Fear not! For I am with you always!"

As if life isn't scary enough for each one of us just living and breathing and doing what we usually do, along comes the six o'clock news!

"Behold! For I am with you until the end of time!"

I do believe the news media, in their efforts to win ratings, loves to escalate the news just by how it's presented. Their eyes wide, voices full of alarm, you're afraid to use the bathroom during a commercial break for fear of missing something, am I right? Yet this is the reaction the media hopes to elicit: fear. Fear of the known which then becomes fear of the UNKNOWN. Terrorists causing rampage in one part of the world; "when will I be the next target?" you may wonder. Oil prices going up, "can I afford to even drive to work?" you ask. and so on.

My friend...stop worrying! Please. The mayhem created by evil forces shall never win, so long as good people worldwide can triumph over that evil. Read that again.

People ARE basically good people. We are a compassionate bunch in this thing called Life. When tragedy strikes, people are quick about responding in a positive way. Unfortunately, the ONLY time the news media pounces on this IS during a tragic moment. Why this hypocrisy is allowed to co-exist is beyond me. Be that as it may, I do believe that good can be found as close to you as the nearest street corner, coffee shop or grocery store. I believe that good happens because I have seen it. I believe that good perpetuates even more good. I believe that if even more people focus on the good, creating more good for others that it will continue to envelop the world.

"I am a little pencil in the Hand of God." ~Mother Teresa 

Stop what you are doing for a moment and ask yourself, "when did I last do a good deed for another?" As the peace prayer of St. Francis states so well, "I seek not to be understood as to understand. I seek not to be loved as to love."

When tragedy strikes, as it has done since the beginning of time and will probably do until the end of time when God intervenes, we must remember that God is with us. Each one of us. We are not alone. All we need to do is to seek Him out in prayer, asking how we can be a channel of His peace plan. How can we intercede for another? How can we spread His message of Love around?
It isn't that hard, if only we focus less on our own desires...and more on how to make the desires of others more felt.
May God bless you today!