We have two very similar words in the English language that can have a huge impact on our lives: Allow and Tolerate.

The subtlety of the difference, however, can make a huge difference in our lives. And the subtlety is all about the energy that is contained in the two words.

Why is that so important? Because everything that goes on in our lives is tied to energy.

There are only two types of energy – positive and negative. It is just like the number line, "zero" is so small as to not really exist. Positive energy is what we have when we are feeling good, with lots of positive emotion going for us; negative energy is reflected when we are feeling down and things are not going well.

The question then comes in "Do we have control of our energy?" The answer is yes and no. How does your day start? If it starts poorly, does it continue in that way? You have a bad commute to work, you listen to the negative news on the radio, then you snarl at the receptionist as you enter your office, your customer comes up with an impossible demand with an equally impossible deadline…. Your day is spiraling out of control

Or do you have to take action to seek positive energy? Even though the traffic is heavy, you enjoy your extra time in the car listening to your favorite music, or to the positive information in an inspirational talk. You finally arrive at work and greet everyone cheerfully. Your client gives you a challenging assignment that will set you up as a hero and you are able to negotiate a more reasonable deadline.

Note the stimulus was the same – heavy traffic, but you were able to generate positive energy in the latter case that continued through the rest of your day. In other words, the stimulus did not determine your reaction. But the results were determined by your reaction.

So let’s get back to "tolerate" and "allow."

"Tolerate" generates negative energy within you. You can feel the antipathy welling up in you as you feel the situation coming about. You really don’t want to let this thing happen, you are forcing yourself to accept what you perceive will occur. "Tolerate" may be better than some alternatives, such as "preventing," which is much more confrontational. But the negative energy that "Tolerate" sets up within you will force you down a negative path as you attract more negative events to your life.

"Allow," on the other hand, contains a positive emphasis that permits you to accept a situation occurring that will provide a positive stimulus for your life. You do not hold hostility toward the situation or individual. In fact your favorable reception continues to build the positive energy you begin to feel.

Much that goes on around us will attempt to drag us down into the negative energy. We are bombarded with stimuli that seek to upset us, to rob our vitality. We cannot escape the stimuli; but we can control our reaction to these stimuli. When confronted with rude drivers, or bad traffic, do we take an opportunity to seek a positive solution? Do we seek out a different path to follow, or refocus our energy on positive stimuli? Or do we permit ourselves to be dragged into the negative spiral that can easily come upon us?

Seek the positive solution – "allow" with grace and a sense of gratitude for the situations that come upon us.

All things work for good … Rom 8:28

Jeff Ferguson