What’s Good for Me?
: September 14
When we are soul-searching, be it for the smaller or larger decisions we face
during the day, we can learn to ask, is this good for me?…Is this what I really
want?…Is this what I need?…Does this direction feel right for me?…Or am I
succumbing to the control and influence that I sometimes allow others to have
over me?
It is not unhealthy selfishness to question if something is good for us. That is
an old way of thinking. To ask if something is good for us is a healthy behavior,
not to be ashamed of, and will probably work out in the other person’s best
interests too.
We shall not wander down a selfish path of self-indulgence by asking if a
thing is good for us. We shall not stray from God’s intended plan, God’s highest
good, by asking if a thing is good for us. By asking ourselves this simple
question, we participate in directing our life toward the highest good and
purpose; we own our power to hold ourselves in self-esteem.
Today, I will begin acting in my best interests. I will do this with the
understanding that, on occasion, my choices will not please everyone around
me. I will do this with the understanding that asking if a thing is good for me will
ultimately help me take true responsibility for my life and my choices.
Getting Through Hard Times: September 15
We are sturdy beings. But in many ways, we are fragile. We can accept
change and loss, but this comes at our own pace and in our own way. And
only we and God can determine the timing.
—Codependent No More
Hard times, stressful times, are not all there is to life, but they are part of life,
growth, and moving forward.
What we do with hard times, or hard energy, is our choice.
We can use the energy of hard times to work out, and work through, our
issues. We can use it to fine-tune our skills and our spirituality. Or we can go
through these situations suffering, storing up bitterness, and refusing to grow or
change.
Hard times can motivate and mold us to bring out our best. We can use these
times to move forward and upward to higher levels of living, loving, and growth.
The choice is ours. Will we let ourselves feel? Will we take a spiritual
approach, including gratitude, toward the event? Will we question life and our
Higher Power by asking what we’re supposed to be learning and doing? Or will
we use the incident to prove old, negative beliefs? Will we say, “Nothing good
ever happens to me…. I’m just a victim…. People can’t be trusted…. Life isn’t
worth living”?
We do not always require hard energy, or stress, to motivate us to grow and
change. We do not have to create stress, seek it, or attract it. But if it’s there, we
can learn to channel it into growth and use it for achieving what’s good in life.
God, let my hard times be healing times.
