Staying Positive in a Negative World

In our Nextdoor app, one of my neighbors posted this: “Happy Heart. With all the turmoil in the world, a wonderful thing happened yesterday. As my husband and I were pulling into our drive, a man in a red truck pointed to our neighbor's house and asked if she were home. He had found her purse in the basket corral at Walmart and was personally returning it to her. He was a fireman named Robert. He went out of his way to drive it all the way to her house with everything intact. There are beautiful people in this world and we need to remember this. What a terrific thing for someone to do. This could’ve ended in a totally different way with much inconvenience. We appreciate people like you, Robert! Stay safe!!”

Aw! A story worthy of sharing because it was refreshing considering the Nextdoor app is often used by cranky folks who are "ticked" about something or someone.

It was so uplifting to be with gals from my church on Monday night after being apart for so many months. The little whining we did was only because we couldn't hug each other -- especially for us huggers.

Being on purpose to stay in a positive frame of mind is as simple as looking for the good everywhere – like that fireman helping a neighbor. Here’s a few of the ways I keep myself energized by focusing on the blessings in my life on a daily basis:

1. I protect myself from negative news. While I want to keep up with current events, sometimes a headline is sufficient to grasp new developments. I limit the time I spend with mainstream media. Truthfully, if that’s where we get our daily “feeding” from instead of God’s Word, then we can only blame ourselves if we’re discouraged.

2. I control the number of negative people in my life. Other than when I am encouraging someone who is going through real challenges, I carefully select how much time I spend with those who are intent on just being negative. My frame of mind and my attitude is dependent on what I allow into my mind.

3. I listen to uplifting Christian music and be transported to a place of joy, peace, and thanksgiving.

4. I practice gratitude. Appreciating life and its many blessings puts me in a good mood. That gratitude makes me want to encourage others – calling or messaging them with an encouraging word. And, random acts of kindness goes a long way in turning a negative world into a positive one.

5. I pray randomly all day: "Thank you, God, for that green light. Thank you, God, for that parking space." And whether it's in traffic or a line at the store, I call on His name as a reminder to have a little conversation with THE ONE who isn't surprised by the delays. No doubt, it's a part of His Master Plan.

There's blessings and beauty everywhere. It's possible to stay positive in a negative world when we look for it.

"And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise." Philippians 4:8

Living Life in a Glass House

Being a blogger is a joy for me. I expose myself as though I were living in a glass house. It's on purpose. Being open to sharing my mistakes, do-overs, and wins is to give you hope and if you can learn from me, maybe you'll be spared from having to go around the same mountains that I did. My point is to share faith and how to stay optimistic in such a negative world.

I want my passion for God to get stronger and my light to burn brighter, and a sweet way of doing that is to refresh and recharge at a daily retreat (a place of refuge) with our CEO Who has an “open door” policy. He is never too busy for us to come into His presence. It's an intimate, altogether personal time with Him. I assure you that intimate place of relationship -- removes doubt, worry, concern, and fear consciousness and replaces it with "Savior" consciousness.

Living in a glass house opens us up to vulnerability, because we all know there are times when the journey gets rocky and uncomfortable. It’s okay…..because the rocks make us appreciate the flat terrain more; the uphill climbs make us appreciate the downhill sprints. The times of despair cause us to lean into God’s love even more. I want my glass house to be a beacon of light for those who can follow in my footsteps as I follow my Lord’s footsteps. You can be assured, wherever this walk takes me today – you’ll hear about it tomorrow because it always comes with a lesson learned and a lesson to share. You’ll know all about it, because “living in a glass house” is describing my relationship with Christ. He comforts me when I cry. He directs me, teaches me, reproves me, guides me and loves me.

Here's the thing -- God loves me AND you. He understands our desires, motives, and thoughts. Nothing about you and me escapes His notice. And, for sure, I don’t really want to live in a literal glass house. But, there’s one thing for sure, no matter where we live, we’re being watched daily by God Who doesn’t require glass walls to know everything about us. The Bible tells us that “there is no creature hidden from His sight, but ALL THINGS are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account” (Hebrews 4:13). He knows ALL things -- not just the things in the open, or the things said out loud> He knows all things -- all the way down to the thoughts and intents of our hearts. When it comes to God, we all live in glass houses.

So how should we feel about the God of the universe having access to any and everything about us? How should we feel about Him having complete knowledge of every thought we’ve ever had, every emotion we’ve ever felt and every decision we’ve ever made? It’s simple — we should feel relieved.