Feb 05 2009
Thinking positive
I don’t know about you, but I sometimes…well, often, have a hard time staying positive when things are going badly. On the outside I try not to show it, but I realize that it’s the inside that God really looks at and that’s what I need to work on. So this post is maybe 50% a reminder to myself and 50% in hopes it encourages others.
I tend to see things very black and white. I have a hard time realizing that a couple of bad things in a day doesn’t make a bad day. It doesn’t mean that the world is against me. If I don’t do something perfectly it doesn’t make me a failure. I’ve always tried so hard to please others that I never really learned to be happy with myself.
But how do I change that? I try to change my thought process but it usually doesn’t work. I can’t change the first thing that pops into my head when something doesn’t go right. What I CAN change is how I respond to those negative thoughts. I can rebuke them. I can tell myself, “just because this happened, doesn’t mean I’m a failure.” The harder part is believing myself. I can tell myself I’m good at something all day but will I believe it? Usually not.
I need to remember, though, that God doesn’t expect me to be perfect. In fact, He promised me that I’m not, and that I never can be. So why expect myself to be something that I’m told outright that I’m not?
I need to remember also that God knows my struggles. And I can go to Him for help. He’s there for me, I just need to let Him in. I need to put my initial thoughts behind me and focus on how God sees me. He doesn’t think less of me because I mess something up. It’s not the mistakes we make that matter, it’s what we learn from them.
I think the key to thinking in a positive manner starts with recognizing our blessings. Those gifts from God that we tend to take from granted. Yes, my son may drive me crazy some days. But God gave me a beautiful baby boy! How awesome! Sometimes I worry about money and feel like we’ll never get ahead. But we have food, clothes, a roof over our heads and more “extras” collecting dust than we’ll ever need. My husband has a job and we have a car to get him there. Thank you, God, for providing for my family!
I realize this post is full of “I” and “my”, and I hope you don’t find it self-absorbed. I hope that it reaches someone and encourages them. We can’t be perfect. But God loves us anyways. So why shouldn’t we?
