Some people have a knack for putting a negative spin on everything.
No matter how wonderful their circumstances, they find reasons to complain.
Then there are those people who find reasons to be grateful no matter how bad their circumstances.
Father Placid suffered in a terrible Siberian prison but focused on tiny blessings like an extra potato in his watery soup. (His story)
Jane had a terrible childhood but grew into a positive, joyful woman. (Her story)
Joni has been paralyzed for over forty years but annually thanks God for the crab that saved her life. (Her story)
Negative people focus on what they don’t have.
Positive people focus on what they have.
Negative people are miserable and they make others miserable.
Positive people are grateful and they encourage the people around them.
If you tend toward negativity, why not do what I’ve done: memorize Philippians 4:8 and recite it when you feel like complaining.
-----------
This 1-minute devotion reinforces the principles in this devotion: Beatin' the Blues
I appreciate your blog so much!
ReplyDeleteThis post is such a good reminder for all of us to think about and remember.
Thanks for the stories of those who suffered and are a great example for us.
I am a negative person. I complain often and my attitude is one of ingratitude. The sad thing is that I was not always this way. But, like a spoiled, petulant child, I am always comparing my life to the lives of others and, in my mind anyway, always coming up short. Everyone else seems to "have it all" and I am always struggling. You'd think that the rational part of my brain would say, "Alicia, you have a husband who loves you and three healthy children. That is more than many people have. You are blessed." But I am honest when I say that I tend to see the glass as always half-empty, and I don't know how to see it as half-full instead. And of course my big worry is that my ingratitude will cause me to lose what I do have (my family) and that I will be filled with sorrow and regret because I did not appreciate what I had when I had it. It is an awful way to live one's life, I can tell you that. My husband says that I am motivated by fear (fear of not having enough, fear of doing without, fear of being judged and not measuring up) and that until I let go of that fear, I will always see life as "not enough". He is right, but I don't know how to not be afraid. I feel that GOD for sure knows that I am a mess, and that even HE has given up on me. But I will continue to pray and I will continue to read my Bible.
ReplyDeleteDear Alicia,
DeleteGod has not given up on you.
But I encourage you to ask others to pray for you. Sometimes we need help in overcoming our sins.
I also encourage you to do a few things I've done when I find myself getting negative:
1. Each morning list the good things in your life.
2. Memorize Philippians 4:8 and other scriptures about gratitude (God's Word changes our hearts in supernatural ways).
3. When you start to think of negatively, immediately stop yourself and thank God for a blessing.
I pray you will take full advantage of the strength God gives you to overcome this sin.
God bless you.
Gail
Alicia, I too feel like that from time to time, like why does God allow me to struggle and others not so much, if at all, smh, I get so angry and aggravated that, yes , I forget all of the good that He's done for me and my family, but I cant help but to be honest with myself and others, and speak the truth about how I feel
DeleteEvery time in my life that I've been happy, something goes wrong. After many years of this being hurt, disappointed, and used, I don't want those feelings, so I look on the negative so the pain is not so bad. I always pray for change and God's strength just to get me through some days.
ReplyDelete