livin' raw...

by Brian Clement

"As ye sow, so shall ye reap" is as true today as when it was written. If we send only negative out into the world, nothing positive will be able to come back to us. If we have no respect for others, how can they possibly respect us in return? However, love expressed will be returned over and over again. We will receive from others what we give to them and we can be sure the love and affection we are able to give will not go unnoticed.

Most of us become over time defensive and retaliatory. We become obsessed with what he did or what she said and then getting back at whomever it was that hurt us in some way, either physically or mentally. We can control this behavior by concentrating on sending only loving messages. This will be hard at first, as we have become conditioned to responding "in kind" and not with a loving heart. It is difficult to try to overcome painful comments and behavior directed towards oneself, but with time and perseverance, it can be accomplished.

Many times we feel like criticizing someone who has said something to hurt us just to retaliate. We tell ourselves it is just "clearing the air." We need to stop and consider whether or not this will help or harm our relationship with this person, or whether it would be better to reflect upon the actual impact our words would have and turn within ourselves to express a loving thought in their direction. How many times have we regretted what we have said and wished we could take it back? How much easier our lives would be if we just held our tongues, took a moment of quiet, forced ourselves to think kind thoughts and finally sent those kind thoughts in the direction of the person who has offended us.

It is very difficult to change our reactions, but there comes a time in everyone's life when we must become wholly responsible for our response to others' actions. Blaming someone else for "starting it" is childish and offers no hope for an improvement in relations, and keeps us mired in the past. To grow in our personal life we must be willing to accept the fact that a change in our behavior is necessary, and indeed, fundamental, if our future is to be a bright and happy one.

To start, imagine yourself absorbing nothing but love coming towards you, then imagine the people you contact and see how sending nothing but love their way will affect their lives. If we thoughtfully make choices about our behavior, we can then set an example of loving and giving for others that will make a change not only in their lives but in our own life as well. As we progress in learning how to send only loving thoughts, it sends a message to our brain to block out the hurtful, destructive images and replace them with harmony and healing ideas which enrich our own lives. What we send out to the world should be the best that we have and in so doing we will enrich our own souls tenfold.