Being positive and thinking on good things is a choice. What are YOU choosing in the “daily grind” of your life? It could be making all the difference in the world. Read on to find out why.
Some surprising statistics show that as much as 77% of what people think is negative, counterproductive and works against them. In addition, people who grow up in the average household hear the word “no,” or they are told what they cannot do more than 148,000 times by the time they reach the age of 18! The culture we live in has the potential to produce in you a critical spirit that will cripple your life and relationships, limit your ability to succeed, and keep you from the joy that God intended for you to live in.
That negative thinking will stop faith, it will stop love, and it will leave you with a sense of hopelessness and despair! So how do you unlock the power of being positive!?
First, examine your own heart and identify what has brought you to the negative side of life. Is it:
- A critical family?
- Too many disappointments and broken promises? (e.g. “I tried that and it didn’t work.”)
- Dreams that haven’t come to pass? (related to marriage/divorce, death(s), job loss, etc.)
- Pride or insecurity?
- Past hurts that have hardened your heart? (unfaithfulness, betrayal, etc.)
No matter what has brought you to that place in your heart and mind, YOU can break free from the past!
God wants to bring you out of the “world’s” atmosphere (critical, harsh, mean) into the atmosphere of His kingdom (one of faith, hope, love, compassion and caring) so He can begin to release His power and His purposes IN you and THROUGH you! The world needs the creativity, life and light that are inside of YOU – yes you! But you must DO something to turn around and begin to swim against the world’s current. Are you ready?
Follow this road map to freedom and begin right now!
#1 Recognize Wrong Thinking
As an elementary school teacher I found that there were some classrooms in which children were always told the things they were doing wrong, and there were others in which there was ALSO an acknowledgment of what was done right and well. The atmosphere of the classroom largely depended on the mindset of the teacher. In a similar way, the atmosphere of a home can largely depend on the mindset of mommy.
Look honestly at your heart right now. Do you consistently look for, find, and expose the weaknesses, shortcomings, faults and failures of others? Do you set yourself up as judge, jury and executioner? Do you tend toward skepticism, envy and unbelief? Are you often frustrated, sarcastic and impatient with people? If you answered yes to any or all of the above, it is time to acknowledge that wrong thinking and make some adjustments.
#2 Choose to Change
It will profit you nothing to see a wrong spirit in the way you perceive life and people, and then to go on thinking the same way, and talking the same way because you will keep acting the same way and getting the same results! You can choose to change the way you think!
#3 Refrain from Criticism!
Katherine Marshall, wife of Peter Marshall (chaplain of the US Senate in the 40’s):
“One morning last week, God gave me an assignment one day. I was to go on a fast from criticism. I was not to criticize anybody or anything. For the first half of the day I simply felt a void almost as if I had been wiped out as a person. This was especially true at lunch. I listened to the others and kept silent. In our talkative family no one seemed to notice. Bemused I noticed that the world could apparently get along just fine without my penetrating observations but still, I didn’t see what this fast from criticism was accomplishing until mid afternoon. In the afternoon God gave me a new vision for my life, and it had His unmistakable stamp on it: JOY. Ideas began to come in a way that I hadn’t experienced them in years. Now it was apparent that what the Lord wanted me to see was my critical nature had not solved a single one of the many things that I had found fault with. What I had done was to stifle God’s creativity in me.”
When you stop complaining and criticizing, the joy of the Lord can bring creative power into your life! The problems you were complaining about, you will now have answers to! Try this for one hour, one day, one week, and see what it will do to plant the seeds of positivity in your thought life.
#4 Replace “Bad” with “Good”
This is what the world says:
Whatever is false, whatever is unworthy of respect and dishonorable, whatever is shameful and offensive, whatever is unjust and polluted, whatever is unlovely and unkind, whatever is rude and disgusting, if there is any bad news and failure, if there is anything worthy of fear and worry, think on and weigh and take account of these things.
This is what God says:
For the rest, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is worthy of reverence and is honorable and seemly, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely and lovable, whatever is kind and winsome and gracious, if there is any virtue and excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think on and weigh and take account of these things [fix your minds on them].
Once you recognize the negativity, choose to change, and practice refraining from the negative commentary, you may feel like Katherine Marshall – wiped out as a person! So what do you do? Replace the former way of doing things with a new way of doing things! Replace the “bad” with the “good.” YOU CAN DO IT!
Why is it worth it???
As a mommy you have tremendous power and influence in the lives of your children AND in creating the atmosphere of your home. Families thrive in an atmosphere of faith, hope, love, positivity and good words being spoken over them. Just think of what you can do to help your children believe that they can do all things through Christ! Just think of how your choice to make some adjustments today can affect lifelong change in future generations! CHANGE IS POSSIBLE AND CHANGE IS POWERFUL! I believe in you!