Spiritual Denial

The word deny has two familiar meanings. The first example is when a person refuses to admit the truth. Did you eat the last cookie? No. The second is to refuse to give something that is requested. Can I have that last cookie? No. Spiritual denial falls under the second example. But instead of cookies, we’re talking about attention and power.

The world is constantly requesting our attention. Where our attention goes, our power tends to follow. Someone has rightfully said, whatever gets your attention, gets you.

Let’s say we receive some potentially upsetting news. I say potentially upsetting because at first, we don’t think that much about it. However, the more we do think about it, the more upset we become. The situation is asking, Would you give me your attention and power? We are saying, Yes, it’s all yours. Spiritual denial is doing the exact opposite: No, I will not give you my attention and power.

Spiritual denial is not the act of pretending the news we received does not exist. It involves a definite decision on how we are going to use our mental and emotional faculties. We can employ our faculties of imagination and faith to create a worst-case scenario that leaves us languishing in fear. Or, we can say no to this temptation by refusing to visualize the worst and instead pour our faith into a brighter picture.

Jesus warned against judging by appearances for a very good reason. Looking only at the facts of a situation creates tunnel vision. In this universe of infinite possibilities, we home in on a specific few. The appearance demands our negative reaction, but are we obligated to give this appearance the attention and power it demands? The answer, of course, is no. We will most certainly deal with the situation, but in a positive and constructive way. Through spiritual affirmation, which we will explore next week, we remain in our center of power by directing our faith to the best and highest good for all concerned.