Take 2 with Jerry & Debbie

Are You Able to See the Bright Side of Everything?

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When life’s inconveniences come your way, even ones that are more than a “little” inconvenient, are you able to see the bright side? In other words, things could always be worse. Say you have a fender bender. You immediately get worked up about who’s fault it was, over your insurance rates going up, what your spouse is going to think, etc. But, wait. No one was hurt, thank God! And, after all, you do have insurance if it’s your fault. And there are shops that can fix your car. This is not to make light of things like auto accidents. Some are very serious. But that’s just an example of how in our minds we can go right to the “glass half empty” reasoning, when, in the end, we might want to try to see things from a “glass half full” perspective. That’s our topic on Wednesday. Call with your takes for Jerry and Debbie and the world!

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3 thoughts on “Are You Able to See the Bright Side of Everything?

  1. hi jerry and debbie! positive thinking has always been a struggle for me. i have a hard time differentiating it from pollyanna thinking and basic stonewall denial. i realize that psychologists call negative thinking a cognitive distortion, and that when it crops up its very
    likely a sign or symptom of a bigger problem. i spent most of my early childhood viewing my family frequently use pollyanna thinking
    and denial of problems as the definition of positive thinking. learning real positive thinking that works is quite a struggle. prayer helps,
    but often i still am stuck with a thought process that doesn’t support my prayer life, only i rarely recognize the problem. when things
    either don’t work out or i don’t like the outcome, often i become embittered and angry. how to practice successful positive thinking is
    perhaps the real issue, at least for me.
    sincerely, patrick from northeastern indiana, home to redeemer radio fm 106.3 and 95.7

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    • Hi Patrick,
      You need to know God, Jesus, loves you so much more that you could possibly ever imagine and more than any other human being on this earth will ever love you. If you do not love God more than any other human being or yourself, YOU CAN ASK HIM for that grace. Ask Jesus for that grace EVERY DAY.
      1. Look for something EVERY DAY to be grateful for. Look hard for a blessing that God gave you today. Make this a daily habit.
      2. Go to Confession every month and talk with the priest about what did not work well for you that month. Explain that you are praying daily for the grace to love God above all other things and trying to be grateful. If there is a monastery nearby you may be able to find a Spiritual Director there to help you.
      3. Forgive anyone who has hurt you. Slowly structure a relationship with them if possible –on your terms. If someone hurts you still, forgiveness does not mean you need to invite them over for a cook out every weekend, just pray for them to convert. That is the most loving thing you can do for someone else. Wouldn’t it be nice if they were not sick individuals anymore? –YUP!
      4. Meditate on the Beatitudes found in the Gospel according to Matthew Chapter 5. You will know how close Jesus is to the broken hearted and persecuted.
      5. If you are sad, don’t try to make it go away. Feel it all the way to the pain of a broken heart and know this is how Jesus felt on the cross. Unite your pain with His—give it to Him. You will be amazed when He takes it from you.
      6. Give God permission to change your life. Write Jesus a blank check. Tell Him every day He has your permission.
      7. If you are married, love God more than you love your spouse—know that your spouse is a broken Human being too, in need of God.
      8. Receive Jesus at Mass or go to Mass as often as possible. Make spiritual Holy Communions all day long too.
      As the years go by and you go to Confession every month, and stay in the state of grace, you will mature in these exercises and find the peace of Jesus, and love His Cross when it comes to you, because you will always find Jesus there. God Bless!!!!!

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  2. I just want to say thank you for today’s talk, about seeing the glass half full. I am a third team nursing student and I had just finished my clinical rounds this morning, feeling down on myself, thinking of all the thing I should have done right. Worrying about how my anxiety was holding me back from become a good nurse. I was seeing the glass half empty. I got into my car leaving the hospital and I always listen to 1060 since I started nursing school because I need God’s grace to help me through my life as a mom, daugther, wife and student. My plate is full on top of going to nursing school. Your program helped me see my life brighter. Listening to the other callers, talk about their loss of loved ones, which I too am slowly getting better at adjusting to my life after the lost of my dad, who suffered a heart attack on Thanksgiving Day 10 years ago. I decided to go back to school, to become a nurse after my dad’s death. I am a Makeup Artist now but I wanted to do something that was not so superficial. I am not a very smart student and I have anxiety, but every day I pray for God to give me the grace and to help guide me through. And God has answered my prays. Every time I think, I am going to fail my classes or I can’t find money to pay for my classes or pay my bills. God gives me the courage to keep pushing on. I just want to THANK YOUR PROGRAM, for being GOD’ S VOICE to me today.

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