THE SPIRIT OF GOODNESS
Recognizing the Force Within
Determining why we are here and what we should do with our life is a challenge for all of us. If we’re lucky, we had parents, teachers and friends who helped us get started and guided us along our early way. However, at some point, the small choices we make each day—and most of our major decisions as well—are left pretty much to us. It would be very beneficial if we had “a helper” who would always be with us and push us in good and helpful directions. Well, we do have such a helper, but we have to make the choice to pay attention to the signals it provides.
We are not human beings having a spiritual experience.
We are spiritual beings having a human experience.
Teilhard de Chardin
A Guiding Spirit
It doesn’t overpower us. It doesn’t shout in our ear. It doesn’t wave a flag if we’re heading in the wrong direction. But God’s spirit is always with us. It is always working to speak to us through our hearts and signaling us to do the right thing. In order to benefit, we have to listen with our hearts and use our brain to stop and think about the message it is sending to us.
The objective of God’s spirit is to motivate us to do good and helpful things. As such, we refer to it as the Spirit of Goodness. The characteristics of the Spirit of Goodness, as we believe them to be, are outlined in the section below.
The Spirit of Goodness - Characteristics
It's Inside of Us. There is, resident within each of us, a certain spirit that nudges us to be nice to others, causes us to be concerned about those in need, and motivates us to reach out and help others in special ways.
It Was Given to Us. We didn’t ask for it, we didn’t do anything special to deserve it, nor did we have to earn it through actions or attitude. It became a part of us when our life was formed and remains with us to this very day.
It Stays with Us No Matter What We Do or Say. Regardless of the way we live our lives, regardless of whether we are good or bad, regardless of what we have done in the past, God’s spirit is steadfast…always remaining with us and standing by ready to guide us in special ways.
It Yields to Our Choices. This spirit supports and guides us, always urging us to live in good and kind ways. But how we live our life is left to us and the choices we make. As a result, making choices each day is the single most important thing we do.
It Will Lead Us to Do Better Things. If we pay attention to the feelings and directions God’s spirit provides, we can “team up” to make better choices, be a better person, and help others through the life that we live.
It Can Make the World a Better Place. Regardless of what country we live in, regardless of race or creed, regardless of differences that have existed for hundreds of years, the Spirit of Goodness is working to guide all of us to work together to make the world a safer and better place.
It Was Given Directly to You. It's not a protestant or catholic spirit, not a Muslim or Hindu spirit, not a spirit from any specific religion, but rather given directly to us by God to “guide us on our way” and help us live good, kind and helpful lives.
__________
May each of us come to acknowledge the presence of the Spirit of Goodness within us,
listen more carefully to its direction as we make our choices each day,
and respond with love
as it motivates us to help others in special ways.
Guiding Us to Use Our Life to Help Others
If there is one thing we all need to understand, it’s this…we are not here just to have a good time or “be a success” in the eyes of others. We are here to help people in some special way. We are intended to use our interests, skills, and feelings (“our lives”) as doctors, bankers, builders, friends, drivers, sales people, neighbors, landscapers, parents and in thousands of other ways to make life better for someone else. The key to living a meaningful life is to help others in some way.
Because the Spirit of Goodness resides in everyone, by helping another person we are also helping them to “see past their current circumstances" and to be more capable of listening to the Spirit of Goodness that is also within them.
You have to reflect carefully on the previous sentence to "see" the connection between helping others and helping God's spirit, but the Bible verse below reminds us of this fact.
Verily I say unto you, in as much as you have done it
unto one of the least of these my brethren,
you have done it unto me.
The Bible
Guiding Us to Understand Our Purpose
Each of us has personal interests, skills and feelings that over time develop and, in effect, can guide us to the basic purpose of our life. The Spirit of Goodness is there with us during this journey helping us to recognize and interpret these qualities as we formulate our answer to that important question…what should I do with my life? In other words, you have been equipped with certain signals—your interests, your skills, your feelings—but it is up to you, along with help from the Spirit of Goodness, to determine exactly what these interests, skills and feelings are saying to you and to make the choice to follow where they are leading you.
God puts special instruments into every person’s hands
by which to make themselves and to achieve their mission.
Josiah G. Holland
Guiding Us to Make Good Choices
Okay, here’s the curveball. The Spirit of Goodness, as strong a presence as it has at various times in our lives, will never dictate what we should do. The power of personal choice remains with us. How we treat others today, how we help others today, and ultimately what we do with our lives is left to us and the choices we make. In other words, you can override the influence of the Spirit of Goodness with the choices you make…and many people do.
A person can do what they ought to do;
and when they say they cannot,
it is because they will not.
J. A. Froude
Guiding Us to a Better Life
If we pay attention to the Spirit of Goodness when it speaks to us through our hearts and support its influence with good choices, it will help us live a better life. It will help us use our life to help others in some special way and, as a result, achieve a higher level of satisfaction with our life both today and in the years to come. .
We wish you the best as you strive to place your thoughts and actions in community with the Spirit of Goodness. The two of you will make a great team, I’m absolutely certain of it.
A life in community with God. It must be experienced to be appreciated.
A life of service. A living by giving and finding one’s own happiness
by bringing happiness into the lives of others.
William J. H. Boetcker
By Michael L. Nelson
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