Find the good and praise it.
~Alex Haley

On Monday, as I sat watching the inauguration ceremonies, I heard one of the speakers quote this short, six word phrase by the author of the inspiring and painful book, Roots. Six small words. And yet they stuck with me and challenged me. ‘Find the good and praise it.’ I wondered what my days might be like if this was my mantra. I wondered how it might change the way I walk in the world. I have even been so bold as to wonder if adopting its clear directive would have the power to affect the world. At least my world, anyway.

It is not news that we live in a culture that speaks more about what is not good than what is good. Our nightly news reports and the morning newspapers focus almost predominantly on the acts of people who have chosen paths of destruction and harm. If we allow it, we can be saturated with such messages. If there is any mention of something good, this story is usually placed at the very end of the broadcast, given a minute or two of fluffiness as the anchors sign off. We all know that what we have just heard and seen does not adequately reflect the movement of any given day, its fullness of both harmful and helpful, but we are powerless it seems to change the way the story of our world is told.

Or are we? Find the good and praise it. What if we took it upon ourselves to make this our personal mission? You will notice the phrase says ‘find’ not just see. It demands a certain amount of searching, discovery, sleuthing. Our work is to ‘find’ and not just ‘notice’. And we all know that there are certain situations and certain people that can make it more difficult to find the good. But as finders of the good, this could become our work.

I think of all the people I know who are caregivers. Doctors, nurses, workers in nursing homes and care centers. But also those who care for aging parents and loved ones in failing health or who simply need more help than they once did. All doing good who probably rarely receive praise. There are parents who every day do the good work of cooking, cleaning, nurturing,listening, reading, praying, offering their presence to the growth of another made in the image of God. Their days are often filled with unthanked, upraised moments and hours.

Every day we all make our way through its 24 hours touched by the good of others. Doors are opened and held. Groceries are bagged, food served. Restrooms are cleaned and sidewalks shoveled. Streets cleared, garbage is hauled. All good acts that make our movements easier, our lives simpler in some way. All acts worthy of our praise.

And what of those situations or people who make us have to dig a little deeper to find the good to praise? Even the most snarky clerk or the child full of tantrum is hiding a goodness waiting to be revealed. Perhaps the praise of their lovely face, sweet smile or even the color of their sweater might turn everything on its head revealing a good to praise. It is worth a try, don’t you think, my fellow finders of the good? My deep intuition tells me that when good if offered praise, more good is born and revealed.

And wouldn’t that be a fine way to warm a cold, January day?