And The Good News Is...?

I was away from the parishes for a couple of weeks in September, and because for the first week I was staying in a monastery on a conference, and for the second week I was on retreat, I spent hardly any time looking at the news. Normally, I keep an eye on the BBC and Sky and CNN websites, as well as trying to keep my ear to the ground locally.

It’s important for us to be engaged with the reality of what is going on around us - but it struck me very forcibly on the occasions when I did dip back into our mainstream media that we are generally only invited to engage with things that have gone wrong.

Just as, on a pristine and perfectly ironed tablecloth, our eye will be drawn to the stain in one corner; just as, listening to a child play a tune on the piano, our ear will be drawn to the incorrect note….

This is often true of our thinking too, whether about the world (“it’s going to hell in a handcart”), about others (“The Prime Minister has shown a real lapse of judgement with this policy”), or about ourselves (“I can’t believe I did that again - when will I ever learn?”).

We can easily forget to focus on the good - again - whether that is on a global, social or personal scale. When we only feed ourselves on negative thoughts and news, we soon become overwhelmed, cynical, miserable and hard-hearted. If we only read about people who are violent, greedy, heedless and corrupt, we soon become defensive, suspicious and unwilling to show compassion.

The charity “Change Mental Health” (changemh.org) says constant exposure to negative news can cause us to feel depressed and anxious, and it encourages us to monitor and limit the amount of negative stuff we consume.

Remember that “you are what you eat” - mentally as well as physically!!

So, this autumn, as nights grow longer, and the daylight fades around us, I encourage you to think about, read about, and enjoy the things that are good news around you. Maybe find out about the great work our local charities are doing (for example Wild Goose Rural Training, Worcester Food Bank, or Worcestershire Wildlife Trust). Take time to celebrate small wins with your friends and neighbours, and take time to search out good news - you might want to have a look at www.goodnewsnetwork.org or the “Squirrel News” app.

This is not about wilfully shutting our eyes to what is wrong or playing at Pollyanna; it is about rebalancing our vision so that we can see, and enjoy, and contribute to, beauty as well as brokenness. The Bible teaches us:

“whatever is honourable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things”

Every Blessing

Revd Kalantha