Kind thoughts make us considerate of others. The talents and gifts that God has given us are not for us alone. They are also for all others. Our vocation — the special calling through our talents — must be oriented toward benefiting others. When we think well about others, when we wish them the best, and when we help them to be the best that can be, we cooperate in God's work in the world. When they bloom, we bloom, and the entire world blooms.

It is true we cannot carry out all the tasks we want to do. But we can send loving thoughts to others, we can be concerned with their concerns, and especially we can pray from them. We can love them — love all that binds them to us, and that brings peace to our hearts and to their hearts.

For Your Reflection & Response

1. Find a quiet, relaxing place, and give yourself about twenty minutes for meditative time. Be alone with God. Enjoy this intimate moment with the Lord. Pray for yourself, for your family, for others. Forgive any resentment you may have had far in the past or you may have now.

Try to think as you think Jesus might have thought in that particular situation. Surrender yourself and your world to him and allow him to be your companion while you are going through your own circumstances of life. You will find yourself ready to "have the mind of Christ" (1 Cor 2:16) when similar situations arise again.

2. Visualize a picture of wholeness and kindness for yourself. Visualize this same picture extended to your world, then to the world at large. Notice the flow of energy reaching others. Repeat this exercise several times.

3. Do you feel "stuck" in some area of your life? Are you stuck in a job you don't like, a location you didn't choose, a certain lifestyle you think cannot change, a situation you don't desire, a condition that you think has no alternative?

Use the power of your mind to create what you really want by providing you with the skills you need to "revolutionize" your life as well as your world. Pick a dream, and go for it. See it happen. Dreams change the world.

4. Write on a piece of paper the following affirmation (or one similar that fits your case): "My kind thoughts transform my world." Repeat it often. Post it on your refrigerator. Sing it. Share it with a friend. In your mind and heart, imagine a picture of the end result of this affirmation, for yourself and for others. Be that transformed person you want to see in others. Create your own reality mindfully, consciously, and deliberately. Others will certainly grasp your essence and follow your steps.

5. Name one person or more that you don't particularly like and think kindly of them today, tomorrow, the day after, and always.

Jean Maalouf in The Healing Power of Kindness