Listen/Download Audio of Let Something Good Be Said
Remember that God needs your co-operation. His love and His power must find an outlet through the thoughts, words, and deeds of men. Men’s prayers establish contact between God’s infinite supply and their finite needs.
God’s creations are in the realm of Spirit, and are all good and perfect. It is man’s job to translate these good potentialities into usable form. We can train our thoughts so they will promote God’s original plan in the earth. Since God pronounced everything good that He made, should we not cooperate by also calling things good?
Many of us have formed the unco-operative habit of criticizing things in general. If something displeases us we blame someone for it. We are very unjust sometimes in our criticism of people. We cannot promote ourselves by depreciating others. A good reputation is made of good things done, not by pointing out mistakes. A good life is made of good thoughts, good words, and good deeds.
Good thoughts and good words produce good experiences. It is therefore never wise to criticize anybody. Choosing to speak of a man’s negative points rather that his good ones proves that the speaker needs to cultivate a little more ability to express God’s goodness in his words. If an apple picker were to select the wormy, rotten fruit instead of the fine, perfect apples, his services would not be acceptable. Neither is the gathering of wormy, rotten data pleasing to God.
Life is filled with what we choose to put into it. As the years unroll before us we are writing upon the scroll of our life’s history the things that we select. God has provided an abundance of good things to choose from. Why not record the best and make a good, successful book of life?
Every time you point out some good quality in a person you encourage him and at the same time you add a little bit of heaven to your own life. A silent blessing or a spoken word of praise or thanks will often mean a great deal to a worried man and will promote God’s plan on earth. When you bless someone silently or aloud something inside you will rejoice and you will receive the divine commendation: “Well done, good and faithful servant . . . enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.”
You will never regret having said something good about anyone whether he fully deserves it or not, but you may often be sorry afterward if you say something critical.
Today many harsh criticisms are being made concerning the work of our various public officials. Some of us feel at times that we could do a much better job if we had the opportunity. It is easy to pick flaws in the other fellow’s work and even though some criticisms are warranted, a grumbling, negative undercurrent of criticism sounds a sour note in the National Symphony. Offering constructive suggestions and criticisms is proper and is in accord with our democracy, but being a chronic kicker is not.
Praising that which is good increases our good. A negatively critical attitude should be avoided because it destroys friendly relationships. Faultfinding also lowers the national standard of good will.
The men who shoulder the official responsibilities of our nation need our encouragement and not our criticism. They need our prayers and our best thoughts. If a man in authority makes a mistake or seems to lack foresight, then surely he needs our good affirmations and our prayers. He needs a boost and not a setback. We who know the value of a silent blessing can help him to do his work more effectively and more joyously. We can affirm that he is being guided by infinite wisdom and that he is under no word of condemnation.
We who understand the power of thought know that we are misusing God’s law when we speak evil of anyone. Our country needs every good thought, word, and deed that we can give it. Let us bless our public servants and strengthen their hearts and hands by praising them in God’s name. It would give the nation a great lift if everybody would form the habit of blessing every public official and every person who is trying to help bring peace to the world. Let us bless our public servants sincerely even when they may seem to fall short of our expectations.
Blessings often have the power to turn mistakes into something good.
I have seen good results grow out of mistakes when they were blessed and mentally placed in the divine hands. Why not co-operate daily in spirit and in truth with the power of God thus helping it to find perfect expression in all the departments of our government? We can have a definite part in improving the affairs in our land by sending thoughts of love, courage, and success to our leaders. Here, perhaps, is a man in a new job trying honestly to administer justice, and he is at his wits’ end to know what to do in a certain case. He needs our prayers, not prayers that he shall do something that we think is right, but that he shall have the inspiration of the Almighty and be given the courage of his inner Christ conviction to do what is right. We can back him up in Spirit as we figuratively pat him on the back with a silent blessing and a friendly thought.
Let us be more often in agreement and criticize less. In this way we shall co-operate a little more fully with God’s plan and speed up the coming of His kingdom in the earth.
SUGGESTIONS FOR DAILY MEDITATION
SUNDAY: God, the good, is omnipresent and everlasting. All people are destined eventually to manifest His glory.
MONDAY: I am good.
TUESDAY: I find God’s goodness being manifested everywhere in everything.
WEDNESDAY: I rejoice and give thanks because I feel the life of God revitalizing my mortal body.
THURSDAY: I thankfully choose to speak of men’s good deeds.
FRIDAY: God is blessing all those who are serving their country as public officials. I see them as emissaries of God.
SATURDAY: There are no mistakes in God’s plan. What man spoils God redeems.
