Negativity or the sense that something is negative or should be pondered upon in a negative light should be normal in many real life situations. and is the balance that is lacking in many a positive thinker. ( THREE CHEERS FOR ARCHIE BUNKER)
Positive thinking without the resistor of negativity, can all to easily lead directly into a false hope.
To put Negativity into a Positive light….
IN GENERAL AREAS OF LIFE:
In situations where much is expected and less then much was the end product. The leaven or wisdom of a good old negative contemplation, would have come in handy (in foresight rather then in hindsight) in helping to foresee the possibility of some failures. Negative meditation would have brought the situation into a far more accurate focus, thereby softening any emotional let downs that were caused by those situations falling short of their entire goal.… and still allowing honest joys for the situation having exceeded the lower goals …This is true in personal relationships, business investments, careers, cars and quite a few other general areas of earthly life.
IN SPIRITUAL AREAS OF LIFE:
Me thinks that negativity is somehow part of, what is traditionally accepted as, the First Gift of the Holy Spirit “Fear of the Lord“.
It is the lack of a holism negative examination of ourselves which causes us to bebop through life thinking that all the things we are doing are just okee-dokee. Then one day, we realize, some of those things are maybe OK with society and or OK with our earthly friends, but are really NOT OK with our Creator and HE can not allow that stuff in heaven. So Giving us the Grace to take a negative look at ourselves is just what the Eternal Doctor Orders.
In the area of self examination we are often better off with a negative look at both the sinful things we are (or were) involved in as well as a negative look at any positives attributes we have gained.
Without a negative backdrop we will, have a tendency to find it too easy to, pat ourselves on the back and confess to Ourselves, (and thereby to God Whom is Anxiously and Lovingly reading our soul) only how well we have done.
FOR EXAMPLE ..(and here feel free to mentally enter your own rudimentary vice) We may, by the grace of God, stop abusing alcohol. Which in moderation is an allowed pleasure but for some of us became an area where we lost self control and allowed ourselves to “be controlled” by this outside influence. Thereby finding it necessary to totally abstain or die physically and spiritually.
If we simply STOP THERE, we are likely to go about bragging “I was an alcoholic for (fill in the blank) years and am now Saved” and not in this lifetime will we continue with the cleansing that God has graciously commenced. When all along maybe what HE was after was for His Dear Child to STOP BRAGGING, OR the GOSSIPING and the lies, stealing, promiscuous thoughts, or mean spirited nature, that were at the core of the true reason for the Alcohol Abuse in the first place.
Self Examination is an area of the human psyche where, without wholesome negativity, pride has an easier time hiding behind a self perceived virtue of humility. This quickly becomes a spot where shortcomings are allowed to reside and will often be smoke screened by the seemingly kind, compassionate, and seemingly loving demons of denial. In the effort to cause humans to take false hopes of presumption into the heart.
Spiritual False Hope generally has the ability, to make itself near invisible by aiding the body and mind it guides, with the drive needed to always be busy to the point of physical and mental exhaustion, going about quite meaningless tasks. (Or at least tasks that may have some “Social Good” but are in no way connected to Sanctification of the Soul attached to the human carrying them out ). Eventually the greatest true spiritual fervor that can be mustard up is barely a decent sized shadow for the false humility behind which it is hidden.
But with a true negative “attitude” toward ourselves (and it must be an honest one not allowing prideful “scruples” to fog our vision, for this is where many a superstition lives ) we will condemn those things that are sinful and justly negative, causing (allowing) ourselves to deal with it in a proper amount of contrition, and it won’t have far to look to bring the mercy, grace and expiation of Our Loving Savoir to our rescue.
Questioning those attributes, of our own spiritual nature, that are truly positive in a true negative light can never hurt it. Only exposing reassurance of their true positive nature. The Joys of such recognitions are tremendous (by Gods own design) in that these joys are either further humbling (causing heavenly peace) or they (or some portion of them) are false joys. Furthermore such scrutiny will cause the true virtues to take larger, more loving, and repeated steps toward “The Positive Light of ALL Lights” and the Author of all that is Good.
More on this subject as time allows…….. NOW if thinking on all of this wages to much confusion or doubt within your mind or in anyway shakes the Hope within YOU … Just stop right there ….. and SERIOUSLY cast your concerns and worries upon THE DIVINE MERCY …. of JESUS and THE FATHER … and a suggestion is, Pray the DIVINE MERCY CHAPLET instead of or in addition to THE ROSARY. (depending on the Fervor the Triune God is given You) GO RIGHT NOW and do a GOOGLE Search for Sister Faustina and the Devotion of the DIVINE MERCY.. or go to ewtn.com they have a very well designed layout, as well as could use your financial support if you would see fit. ( You can find a link to the EWTN home page on our home page) ….. In Short .. the Meditation of Divine Mercy is “JESUS I TRUST IN YOU” … Recite it Once or Recite it a Ten Thousand Times… but SAY IT From the Heart He has Given You to read this far .. and maybe come back to this other type of reading in a month or so.