Seek and ye shall find

Jesus said, “Seek and ye shall find.” He gave to us a simple and profound principle.

We will find what we look for. We become what we believe. Once a person has determined a goal, his or her thoughts and energies begin to work toward that end. This is a building process and it can be positive or it can be negative.

There is a parable of an old, wise man sitting in his chair watching the world go by. One day a stranger stopped in the town and he asked the old, wise man, “What kind of people live here in this town?”

The man asked, “What were the people like where you came from?”

The stranger said, “Oh, they were terrible people.”

The old man replied, “The people here are the same. They are terrible.”

A few hours later, a car with a family drove into town at the gas station. The mother and her daughter stepped out to use the restroom. Then the father got out and walked up to the old, wise man.

He looked around as if he might want to move to this town. He asked the old, wise man, “What are the people like here?”

The man asked, “What were the people like where you came from?”

The stranger said, “The people there are friendly. They greet you and help you where they can.”

The old, wise man said, “That’s the way the people are in this town.”

The old, wise man’s granddaughter sitting next to him asked, “Grandpa, why did you say to the first man, ‘This is a terrible place’ and to the other, ‘This is a wonderful place?’”

The old man said, “What people look for is what they find.” The lesson here is that what we believe is what we will build and create.

Wherever we go, we carry with us the attitudes of kindness, cordiality, compassion, understanding, empathy, loyalty, patience and faith. With these attitudes we will find those persons who will share the same.

Jesus came to us with the secrets of the kingdom of God. He exemplified compassion, healing the sick, the lame and the blind. He taught us that his kingdom is not of this world. He taught us that in him the world can be transformed, the heart can change and eternal life awaits us.

The apostle Paul, whose life was totally changed, writes, “Finally beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” (Philippians 4:8-9)