Choosing Positivity

There is a line from today’s gospel that really strikes me. Jesus is speaking to a crowd and describing the actions of scribes and Pharisees and states:

 “They tie up heavy burdens hard to carry

and lay them on people’s shoulders,

but they will not lift a finger to move them.” 

This line makes me question how many times in my life I have put my burdens upon others, selfishly, without sharing the load. While the entirety of the Gospel is discussing the importance of practicing what you preach, and leading by example not through words alone, this line stands out to me. It also strikes me that writing this blog post could ironically put me in a position to become the lecturous Pharisee who is writing words to be heard, instead of leading through actions. Because of this, I am going to focus on this line of the Gospel because it resonated with my personal prayer journey this spring.  

My goal this Lenten season is to be more intentional about choosing positivity, and I think that this line exemplifies what I am trying to avoid. For me, I think it can be easy to slip into the role of the Pharisees in this Gospel. There are times when choosing positivity over negativity feels like fighting entropy. When it is easier to tie up a bad day into a hard to carry package and hand deliver it to someone else. However, I never feel better after commiserating in negativity, or complaining constantly about a situation. It takes a negative moment and amplifies it, often enveloping whoever it comes in contact with. Instead, I am working on listening when friends, loved ones, and colleagues speak. If someone shares a complaint with me I am trying to not pile on, but instead take that piece of information, actually hear it, and empathize with that person. I am working on helping others carry their burdens instead of giving them my own. It’s hard- my default is to fit in to whatever conversation I am having by taking on the tone of that conversation. It takes more work to listen, empathize, and project positivity onto a situation then it does to just add to the pile. 

This Gospel reading today was a reminder of why my Lenten goal of being more positive and being more intentional about listening to those around me is a worthy task that I need to continue to practice. 

Author: Leanne Applegate, Science Department