Reading
Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies.
Philippians 4:8-9 (The Message)
Reflection
In Pastor Mark’s sermon, he encouraged us to notice moral beauty (such as kindness, compassion, forgiveness, courage, and self-sacrifice) and to name it. We can “call it out” in a good way! And then we’re even more likely to witness such beauty again! Indeed, something special happens when we notice the good that people are doing, draw attention to it, and celebrate it. We find that such goodness spreads.
Immoral behavior can be contagious, but so can moral behavior. There have been many instances of one person’s act of kindness leading to the recipient of such kindness wanting to pay it forward. And the effect doesn’t stop there, because people witnessing or learning about such stories can also be inspired toward similar acts of kindness.
Unfortunately, it’s quite common for people to spend more time criticizing than praising. Sometimes this holds true across various arenas of our life, from the impersonal to the personal, all the way from incessantly deriding political leaders we’ve never met to being constantly critical of our own family members. Yet many people who set their radars on ultra-sensitive (so they can catch people in the wrong) often fail to realize they’re compounding their own unhappiness. Habitually pointing out what we think is the worst in others ends up making us worse. Conversely, when we regularly practice noticing the good in people, we become better, kinder, more accepting people ourselves.
It all comes down to what we decide to value. What if we decide to make good moral character the main thing we seek to witness and to live out? How might that change how we accept, treat, and serve people?
Yesterday was the day we’ve set aside to give honor to Martin Luther King Jr., so I’m reminded of the famous “I Have a Dream” speech. In that speech, King declared, “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today.”
For many of us, it is our dream that people in our nation, and all around the world, will come to understand that having good moral character is the truest kind of beauty. And if we want to see things change for the better, then such change begins in the context of our own heart.
I’ve decided that in 2026 I will focus on practicing what I call “goodness spotting.” That’s when I see good being done by others and take some time to absorb what it means to witness such moral beauty. I believe that if I can keep growing in my ability to spot such goodness, and pause long enough to thank God for it, it will change me.
I want to fill my mind with good things and give back similar goodness to the world.
Deep down, I know that if I want to see more love in the world, I need to do two things: 1) I need to be more diligent in my searching for and paying attention to love when it’s present; 2) I need to become more loving myself.
Prayer
Almighty & Loving God, help me to look for the goodness in people, as well as the good which is being done. Help me to refrain from needless criticism in favor of needful praise. Help me to keep my mind on what is good, right, and loving. Amen.
