The Difference Positivity Can Make
I would say I can be a fairly optimistic person, but there sure have been times when I have thought quite the contrary and have dove head first into the sea of negativity. It’s so easy to do, isn’t it?
I was listening to a Christian hip-hop/pop station out of Houston and they challenged their listeners to a 30-day challenge. Listen to Christian radio for 30 days and see if it doesn’t change your life and thoughts? I’m sure you’ve had a moment when you had the radio on and then BAM, the perfect song came on that spoke directly to the situation you were in. Yeah, I’ve had that countless times!
I couldn’t help but think that if the radio can make that big of an influence on our life, what about our every day thoughts? What do we start our day thinking about? What do we think about during the day? What do we end the day thinking about? What we think about, is a sure sign of where our priorities lie.
I am joining right with you, realizing that I have work to do in this area. If I keep my focus on Christ, my whole view on life and the mundane in a day, changes. My thoughts turn from mundane to positive views on life. It gives me an extra pep in my step. It makes me think about the way I live my life and HOW I want to live my life.
When I wake up in the morning, I try to always immediately pick up my devotional (if Mazy doesn’t wake up before me), and start my day with God. I always pray afterwards, but I fully admit, that’s when my mind starts to drift. I start to think about the day, the events, and what’s to come, as I start to pray about it. I always have to reel my thoughts back in, but I have found that starting my day with TRUTH, helps me keep a hold on life and realize the difference a positive outlook on life can have.
That has been tested over and over again for me in the past few months. It is a daily battle at times. Will I let my situation take me down or push me forward? When I was struggling with PTSD and the flashbacks that I could not snap out of, it was infiltrating my mind with truth and forward-thinking, that helped me move from a mind of fear to a resting in God’s peace.
Now don’t get me wrong. There is a season for everything. A time to weep and a time to laugh; a time to mourn and a time to dance. (Ecclesiastes 3). I’m not saying we should walk through life fake and acting like nothing phases us. In fact, I think quite the contrary. I think we are meant to be REAL.
But when we keep God as our center and focus, our minds will ALWAYS see a bigger picture!
A life I sure want to live!