Happy Easter

Earth’s saddest day and gladdest day were just three days apart

-- Susan Coolidge

This particular post coincides with the Easter holiday during which Christians celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Christians believe, according to Biblical scripture, that Jesus was raised from the dead three days after being crucified.  The crucifixion itself is always commemorated on Good Friday, 3 days before Easter Sunday. 

In my view, whether or not you believe that Jesus paid the penalty for the sins of mankind so that all who believe in Him might have eternal life, you have to agree that Jesus stands as one of the consummate positive thinkers.  I am not referring to someone who always looks on the bright side.  If you have been following this blog you know that positive thinking refers to actively using one's mind to achieve what one strongly desires.

The Bible shows us by example that words play a very large part in our life. Thinking as well as speaking positively can bring about healing, prosperity, joy and love. Words can bless a person or they can curse a person. Words can heal or make you sick. The essence of this concept is that how you speak about yourself and others has a direct bearing on what the mind creates as a reality. Words that ridicule, torment, harass and tear down a person will only create resentment, desire for revenge and more ugliness in return - never a good result. Thoughts that are always fearful and bitter can never remove fear and worry.

Norman Vincent Peale (1898-1993) was a champion of positive thinking and wrote several self-improvement books.  He applied Christianity to everyday problems and said, "through prayer you ... make use of the great factor within yourself, the deep subconscious mind ... [which Jesus called] the kingdom of God within you ... Positive thinking is just another term for faith." Peale also wrote, "Your unconscious mind ... [has a] power that turns wishes into realities when the wishes are strong enough."   

In his book Think and Grow Rich Napoleon Hill wrote: "Through some strange and powerful principle of 'mental chemistry' which she has never divulged, Nature wraps up the impulse of strong desire, that something, which recognizes no such word as impossible, and accepts no such reality as failure."