Positive or Negative?

I’ve been thinking about a saying that I’ve heard all my life. “Life is 10% how you make it and 90% of how you take it!” Isn’t that the truth? Something can be easy or it can be hard – it all depends on your attitude. They say that “attitude is everything,” and I tend to agree. But, sometimes keeping a positive attitude is tough, especially in a negative world.

So, why are some people negative? They may laugh and say that “they got up on the wrong side of the bed!” They may blame it on the life situations that they have found themselves in. Life is full of surprises. Some of them are welcomed. Some of them are not. Loved ones get sick and die. Homes burn. Jobs are lost. Accidents happen. God didn’t tell us that life was going to be a bed of roses. What He did say is that being “faithful unto death” will make the journey worth it. Did you know that all of Gods children are not gonna love ya? It’s true – no matter how nice you are, some folks aren’t going to like you. Jesus warned his disciples of this – “If ye were of the world, the world would love his own, but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.” (John 15:19)

How can we have a positive attitude when we’re surrounded by negativity? We have to realize that we can only control our own actions. We can’t change everyone else, but we can change the way we react to them. So, how do you feel when you say, “Good Morning!” and the other person ignores you or grumbles and walks away? Will you let that person determine how you act when the next person walks by? Would others call you a positive person or a negative person? We might not be able to control our circumstances, but we can control whether we choose to learn from them or whether we allow them to control us.

God wants His children to be happy. We are to “rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice.” (Philippians 4:4) Did you realize that Paul wrote that verse while in prison? If anyone had a right to be “grumpy and miserable”, Paul did. But, Paul was able to rejoice “in the Lord.” That’s what makes the difference. When you’re in the Lord, you can look for the positive in a field of negativity. When someone starts exuding negativity around me, I just say, “Bless their hearts!” (You know, here in the south, “Bless their hearts” covers a multitude of sins!)

So remember – “let your little light shine,” and who knows? Maybe you’ll light up the world. Enthusiasm is catching! Start a fire! God Bless, Courtney