The Art of Recognition

Description

Today I’m talking about what I call the art of recognition, and how powerful it can be in the way we see each other and move through life. As we look beneath the surface of a biblical story, I’m drawn to this simple but profound truth from Swedenborg’s Secrets of Heaven: “goodness is what recognizes the truth that belongs to it, and truth is what recognizes the goodness that belongs to it.” I see this play out all the time. Sometimes I notice some small little act of kindness in someone, and suddenly my whole mental paradigm shifts. Other times, I already know something true about a person, that they are loyal, steady, the kind of person who would answer a 2:00 in the morning call from Cleveland, and that truth draws out a deeper love and appreciation. Both are pathways into beauty. So my invitation today is simple, even if it is not easy. Keep working at that kind of sight. Look again. Pay attention. Remember the goodness you have seen and the truth you know. Because when I do that, the world opens up, and I begin to see people a little more the way angels do.