It's All Good: 12 Devotions to Embrace Your NowSample

Low Vibes Are Good Vibes

Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. MATTHEW 7:1-2 NIV

There's a lot of talk these days about vibes. Your vibe has become synonymous with your tribe. We look for people who resonate with us or vibe like we do. We call these our “vibe-tribes.” You might hear someone say they no longer hang with this friend or that family member or a coworker because they just don’t like their vibe. Conveniently, vibe has become the new clique—an excuse to exclude anyone you want to.

But truth be told, no one vibes high all the time. Those who claim to simply mask the times they don’t. It’s inauthentic. Our bodies experience wide emotional ranges. Happiness. Hope. Doubt. Hurt. Joy. Peace. Fear. All comprise our emotional journeys. And all can have a good purpose.

We risk becoming stuck when we fall into the illusion that we can only live on one side of the emotional grid—the “high-vibe” side. Life consists of a duality of emotions and experiences because, without duality, you can’t truly know the fullness of what you feel.

Hurt informs hope. Strength comes from suffering. Disappointments help define our delights. Emotions enable us to both learn and create. What would a movie be like without conflict?

Would you watch a film that focused only on high vibes? Our various emotions are the oils that merge to make the canvas beautiful. We need our ups and our downs. We all do. That’s why, even though my car’s license plate says “VibenHi,” I’m hesitant to hop on any “high-vibe” train. I have a fun car, and my license plate reflects how I hope to feel when I drive it. But it’s a license plate, not a life plate. Because without the contrast of our emotions, we can never fully appreciate them.

While it feels good to vibe high, and we should pursue this, labeling our uncomfortable emotions or low vibes as “bad” reduces our gratitude for and our understanding of what we call “good.” Seeking to avoid them altogether creates an unaligned core and inauthentic internal experience. A diamond shines brightest against the backdrop of a dark cloth. Never judge the clothes. It brings out the diamond’s light. And never pass judgment on others who might not be your “vibe” or could even be “too low vibe” for your preference. You’ve been there before, or you’ll be there at some point. We all pass through the journey of emotions. The other person is just in a different space than you right now. Replacing judgment with compassion, for ourselves and others, will help us all.

Jesus, give me greater grace to accept everyone where they are and replace judgment with compassion. Amen.