"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.“Why do people get so upset when I offer suggestions?” my mother asked. “Because your suggestions are ‘street smart’ gleaned from years of living. When someone has seventeen letters after their name, they rely on their education and years of experience, and rightly so.” When my mother feels like she’s being shunned or intentionally ignored, it’s more likely because she’s viewing the response from a dark perspective because her help is not readily accepted. She’s from that generation where the parent-child relationship is all they know. They have no role models for adult-adult relationships with their kids, neighbors, co-workers or even strangers, that happen to be younger than them.
The other day I heard someone say, “bless them, change me,” as a sort of prayer. I now have a mantra that takes me to the mindset of choosing to see comments in the light rather than in the darkness, in love rather than hate. This is helping me not respond in darkness or hate, but to see the light and respond in love. Do you have people in your life that ‘rub you the wrong way’ with their comments? Do those comments make you want to respond with words you'll later regret? What can you say that will remind you to shift your perspective from darkness to light and respond in kindness? Lord, save me from myself; my thinking that every comment is about me. Help me see through Your eyes and see light and love. Amen “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” John 1:5. “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” Psalm 119:105 What are your thoughts? Libby
Note: Maya Angelou (1928-2014), an American poet, author, screenwriter, actor, singer, dancer and civil rights activist. She is best known for her first in a series of seven autobiographies, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, and is attributed to be “the black woman's poet laureate.”
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WelcomeI love the wisdom of the ages gleaned from relevant quotes. In them there is a connection to the human experience that crosses all borders. Join me as I relate my personal experiences, and link the wisdom of the quote to the Source of all wisdom: God's Word, the Bible. Enjoy, Libby Categories
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