25 So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’ Matthew 25:25 (NIV)
"If he falls into some error, he does not fret over it, but rising up with a
humble spirit, he goes on his way anew rejoicing. Were he to fall a hundred
times in the day, he would not despair,—he would rather cry out lovingly
to God, appealing to His tender pity. The really devout man has a horror of
evil, but he has a still greater love of that which is good; he is more
set on doing what is right, than avoiding what is wrong. (italics mine) Generous,
large-hearted, he is not afraid of danger in serving God, and would rather
run the risk of doing His will imperfectly than not strive to serve Him
lest he fail in the attempt."
Jean Grou (1731-1803) French Roman Catholic mystic and spiritual writer*
I wonder how much better off the world would be if Christians loved good more than they hated evil. What if we focused on doing right as opposed to avoiding wrong?
At first blush these sound like one in the same. But there is a subtle difference.
In education we encourage beginning teachers to admonish students to exhibit the correct behavior rather than telling students to not to do the incorrect. "Please walk in the hall" as opposed to "Please don't run." "Please use your six-inch voice", not "Don't talk to loudly." The logic is that by focusing on the correct behavior, the incorrect behavior will be extinguished.
How would our lives be transformed if we applied this same principle to the Christian life. "I shouldn't gossip" becomes "What positive thing can I add to this conversation?" "My coworker never gets anything right" changes to "How can I help him/her out today."
Don'ts become do's. Sneers become smiles. Condemnation becomes congratulations or condolences.
* Daily Strength for Daily Needs
http://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/8534/pg8534.html
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