Solutions February 2019 | Page 8

Several years ago, I had to give up watching cable news channels. Before then, I was a news junkie. I LOVED watching the news, hearing different angles on the news, and listening to incredibly smart commentators share their opinion about the news. But over time, a steady diet of cable news and commentary wasn’t good for my soul. By watching cable news every day, I was feeling anxious and even hopeless about the future. I had a deep-seated cynicism toward politicians. I began to believe they had a vendetta out for America and my way of living. I had no interest in listening to others who valued different political views from me. I lacked compassion for those with differing opinions. It was making me an unloving person. For me, shutting off my excessive intake of cable news made me more loving, less tense and more hopeful. I developed clearer thinking about real solutions for real problems and my compassion for the people around me began to increase. I started to want to know about other views and found some of my own long-held beliefs shift as I was released from the quicksand of group-think. For me, it was cable news that was making me less loving. For you it might be a person who is pulling you into a cesspool of negativity. It might be an environment or work place. You may need to change what you are reading, watching or listening to. If you truly want to be a person marked by love, then remove the things in your life that are keeping you from becoming who you want to be. 3. Pray for a Change of Heart I’m not sure your prayers will get you a new job, or make your car last another year, or help you pass a test when you didn’t study . But I am convinced God answers prayers when you ask him to work in your heart, at a deep personal level. https://vimeo.com/299011725 8 • Solutions