Why Our Eyes Face Forward

 

“Consult not your fears but your hopes and your dreams. Think not about your frustrations, but about your unfulfilled potential. Concern yourself not with what you tried and failed in, but what is still possible for you to do.” – Pope John XXIII

My brain acting like a cassette player can be my worst enemy. This happens when I reflect on a given situation and then let my thoughts fixate on what I wish I had said or done differently. Sometimes I replay the scenario in my head over and over again -- play, rewind, play, rewind, play – getting me stuck in a cycle of unproductive ruminating.

Maybe you do the same thing. If so, be kind to yourself and remind yourself that you’re doing the best you can, where you are, with what you have. Yes, maybe on another day, and knowing what you know now, you would choose your words or actions differently. That day, though, you did your best under the circumstances.

God put our eyes in the front of our heads, not the back, to keep us looking ahead to the next opportunity. He wants us to learn from our past, not stay stuck there. Reflection is productive when it helps us see if there’s a change we should make or some other kind of action to take. Rather than getting stuck on the proverbial hamster wheel of “shoulda-woulda-coulda,”our reflection will help us move forward. (If you’d like to learn more about how our thoughts affect our emotions, Google that phrase.)

God sees the love in your heart and your good intentions. Don’t get stuck on where you fell short; instead, learn from it, let it go, and look ahead to how you may show kindness and compassion through your words and actions. Trust God’s Spirit in you. Let Him guide you, moving you toward deeper love and peace with others and Him.

“Lord, help me look for opportunities to bring You closer to us.”

 Thank you for reading my reflection. © 2022 Gina Bedell     Comments are always welcome! Feel free to share it with your friends by clicking on one of the icons below. Thanks!

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 p.s.

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