The Power of Positive Thinking???

 

I’ve found myself pondering lately the abundance of “positive thinking” that’s been pouring onto my FB page.  It doesn’t take very long to discover that there’s an abundance of literature available on the subject.  But something about so much “goodness” and “positivity” has made my skin crawl and the hairs on my neck stand up.  Is it discernment?  Is it just being a party-pooper?  Why can’t I buy-in to what I would have called a “fad”…except it’s been around for a long time?  I’d like to share my personal thoughts about why I cannot and will not be joining the bandwagon of “speaking good” into my life all the time.

My first reason for ignoring this phenomenon is that I look at my Savior Jesus and see that He did not spend every day speaking strength to His own life.  Of course, He was the Son of God…can’t get much more positive than that.  But He gave up EVERYTHING in His kingdom to come to our kingdom to show us how we could get to His kingdom…and He didn’t come speaking just peace and joy and everything positive.  I studied just the first seven chapters of Matthew and made a list of “how” Christ spoke…and found that He actually said things that we’d probably consider “negative” more than the positives.  I will post that list following this blog.  If I want to emulate the life of Christ on earth, I cannot just share “the good”.  I cannot just share “the hope.”  Reality for Christ meant that people needed to hear things like “we don’t and shouldn’t do things just for show.”  Reality for Christ was that for all the positive fruit we were to bear, we needed to be aware there were consequences if we didn’t bear fruit.  Reality for Christ was that there was an enemy on this earth…and for Him it was the men of the church (gasp).  How sad that those entrusted to share God had become the enemy of God.  Later on in Matthew, Jesus is going to talk about the fact that the Kingdom of Heaven has faced violence and will continue to face violence.  If we’re all busy boosting each other’s feelings and spurring each other on to success, what happens when the hard times and the violence comes and we can’t “think” our way out or “encourage” our way out.  I do not say this to say that we shouldn’t be spreading positivity…I’m just saying that we should be balanced.  We need to face reality.  We have a responsibility to warn the world that evil abounds…that end times will be difficult…that there are false teachings out there…that there are leaders who will lead us astray if we don’t call them on it.  Jesus had no problem calling folks on their sin issues…as long as we stick with sins identified in God’s Word, we’re not judging others when we call them out.  HOWEVER…there’s that verse about the plank in our own eye.  I’ve decided that before I suggest to someone else how they might make their life better (in my personal opinion), I’d better be sure I’m doing everything God called me to do.

Another reason I’m struggling with the “positive thinking” realm is that it seems an avenue where people think they are in charge of their own life…the outcome of their own decisions.  It seems to ignore that our Creator has designed a path for us and has a purpose for us that may be completely different of our dream for ourselves.  We live in a world that has promoted self-absorption for as long as I can remember…and more and more I see Christians who are more concerned with their personal relationship with Christ than they are with His Kingdom.  We’re not here just for our own relationship with God.  If He just needed me to have a relationship with Him, I’d be the only one here.  But we seem to have forgotten that the world is LOST and we’ve been found…and we know the WAY to help others be found.  I’m preaching to myself when I say, “When’s the last time you shared Jesus with someone?”  I believe fruit is not just evangelizing others…that it also includes personal growth and making disciples of others by helping them grow.  But someone has to share the gospel.  If I’m busy thinking happy thoughts and promoting positivity, how do I help someone repent of their sins.  How do I help someone…or myself…to not grieve the Spirit?  In a world that pursues pleasure, how do we share that following God may not be all pleasurable?  Do we change the message to match our culture and win the world?  Will we be winning them to truth…or a distorted truth that is appealing but not deep?

Jesus came for OTHERS.  God sent Him for OTHERS.  Yes, we find joy (something so much deeper and richer than this world’s idea of happiness) in our relationship with Christ.  It means that when a family members does something painful and hurtful to us, we can survive and thrive because God sees us through.  But it doesn’t negate the pain, embarrassment or hurt.  I had surgery a few years ago.  My body has healed.  There are scars as reminders.  They don’t “hurt”…but they do remind.  It was a painful time…and a scary time.  But GOD SAW ME THROUGH.  People knew I was hurting and allowed me the time to recover from that physical pain.  Well, a lot of folks are dealing with emotional pain…spiritual pain.  Words like “testing”, “trials” and “persecution” don’t sound all positive and happy…but they are the reality of Christianity if we live like Christ.

So…I don’t want to offend anyone.  I don’t want to hurt anyone.  But I do want to honor God and His Word in my life.  I do want to live like Jesus…loving others but knowing they aren’t perfect.  I want to pray for them… but I also want to call them on the things that God has been calling them on.  After Christ left, there were others that continued to share the truth.  Not just the good stuff.  But the nitty-gritty stuff.  The world sees Christians as “saps” and “using a crutch” because they do not see us standing up to the challenges of this world and rising above them.  The world is giving them all the positive thoughts they can stand.  They NEED to hear the TRUTH…God’s TRUTH.  We need to warn them…plead with them…pray for them…encourage them.  But that takes a balance.

I appreciate the many friends who speak positive thoughts into my life…and I’m blessed to know a lot of wonderful women and men who do so in true and real ways.  What I really love is when those same people send me a private message asking me to pray for them and share their very real struggles with me.  You see, the world doesn’t want to hear about our struggles because THEY ARE ALL STRUGGLING TOO.  So we hide the truth of the nitty-gritty stuff for fear of what others will think about us.  And then there are those who don’t mind telling us what they think of us…especially if they don’t like what they see in us.  If what we’re doing is not what they do, they think they have to share it with us.  Which I guess is really what this blog is about…I don’t do things the way you do.  I will say I’m not trying to get folks to do it my way…I’m just asking folks to be a little forgiving if they don’t like the way I do things.  I’m thinking if I share my heart here that maybe someone somewhere will cut me some slack.

So are you someone who speaks only positive thoughts?  Can I ask why?  Can I ask what you think will happen if you speak something less than “positive”?  And while I’m at it…since I’m apparently getting my “rant” on today…I’m also concerned about the amount of non-Christian thought that’s shared on FB by friends who call themselves Christian.  When we start mixing the spiritual thoughts of other religions and belief systems that have nothing to do with God or His Son, Jesus, we are treading on very, very dangerous ground.  We have a responsibility, as Christians, to faithfully handle the Word of God.  I try really hard to make sure I do not pass along any “positive” sound bites on FB that are not able to be rooted in Scripture.  The influence of Eastern religions is especially alarming to me.  Karma is NOT a Biblical practice.  What goes around comes around is the idea behind karma…that it’s just a continuous circle of things that eventually will get back to you.  The truth of the Scriptures is, “What a man sows, that’s what he will reap.” (Galatians 6:7).  We are responsible for our actions…they reap consequences.  Karma says if I was a bad kid I will have bad kids.  Scripture says if I practice bad parenting, I will have bad kids.  See the difference.  So be careful what you’re accepting as truth in your life!

Here’s that list of “Positive” (in connotation) and “Negative” (in connotation) words or actions from Jesus in the first seven chapters of Matthew.  I encourage you to do your own study…are you emulating Jesus?  I’m reading a book called “Christian  Atheism” about the fact that we are not walking our talk…or talking our walk.  I’ll share from the book if there’s something the Spirit presses my heart to share.

Positive (in connotation)

Teaching

Proclaiming Good News

Healing

Merciful

Pure in heart

Peacemakers

Rejoice

Be glad (because you’re being treated us unkindly as  those who came before you)

Light shine

Good deeds

Settle matters quickly

Give…loan

Love your enemies

Pray for persecutors

Be perfect

Practice righteousness (but not for show)

Give in secret to be rewarded by God

Pray

Forgiveness results in forgiveness

Fast privately

Store up treasure with heavenly value

Serve only one master

Do nworry about earthly needs

Seek His kingdom and righteousness

Do not judge

Share the sacred with those who will understand

Ask, seek, knock

God gives to His children

Treat others the way you want to be treated

The small and narrow gate leads to life

You will be recognized by your fruit

You must do the will of the Father to enter heaven

You must put God’s Word into practice

Build your foundation on the rock

Negative (in connotation)

Poor in spirit

Those who mourn

Meek

Hunger and thirst for righteousness

Persecuted because of righteousness

Insult you

Falsely speak evil about you

Salt that loses saltiness is no good

Hide light under a bushel

Righteousness must exceed Pharisees

Anger and name-calling send a person to hell

Reconcile with others before sacrifice to God

Throw your eye out…cut your hand off…if they cause you to sin

Do not swear

Adultery is a sin

Do not resist an evil person…turn the other cheek

Give more than is required of you (give coat not just shirt)

Give to the one who asks

Loan when one needs to borrow

Be perfect

Don’t do things “for show”

Do not pray like a hypocrite

Don’t babble on in prayer

Unforgiveness results in unforgiveness

Do not fast for show

Do not store treasure on earth

Have no other gods before God

You of little faith

Pagans worry about material needs

Each day has enough trouble on its own

You will be judged if you judge

Don’t share sacred with unsacred

Dogs and pigs can turn and tear you to pieces

The wide gate and broad road lead to destruction

Watch out for false prophets

You will be recognized by your LACK of fruit

Not everyone will enter heaven…even if you claim the name of the Lord

Evildoers

Hearing and not doing is foolish

Foundation built on sand will fail