4 Ways to Stay Positive in a Negative World

Whether you get your world news via network television, social media, digital newspapers, or your chatty next-door neighbor, it would be hard to deny the overall tone of gloom and doom that is pervasive in today's culture. However, Christians, of ALL people, have the most reasons to remain positive. Not Pollyanna, pie-in-the-sky, rose-colored glasses positive, but a secure, assured, trusting that God is in control, totally and completely in control, kind of positivity that can only be attributed to deep faith.

I have been a Christian for 68 years now. I believe (because I have experienced) the promises of God found in the Bible. I know I am going to heaven when I die. Yet, I sometimes find myself struggling to stay focused on the eternal, rather than on the often-depressing present.

Lately, I have found 4 ways, 4 things I can make a conscious effort to do, that keep me on a good track. Maybe one or more of these suggestions will help you, too.

STAY IN AWE

Last summer, Steve and I took a two-week road trip from Alabama to Arizona and New Mexico. I remember a couple of days in particular when we were driving from Santa Fe, NM to Monument Valley, UT to Sedona, AZ. It seemed that every mile unveiled sights that amazed us, again and again. The mountains, the vast ranches, the endless skies, the red rocks, the scenery so vastly different from Alabama. Our vocabularies were completely inadequate. We just gazed in wonder. (See some of the photos here and here).

We have regular chances to stay in awe as we see the first of our 16 grandchildren beginning to be launched into their adult lives. Oldest Allie is now married with 2 young sons. Watching her with those boys brings us so much joy. Luke, Nathan, Seth, and Birti are in college (Belmont, Mississippi State, and Auburn). Their grades are terrific, they are active in church, and they have wonderful friends. Praise God! Margaret is spending a year in Japan tutoring the children of missionaries. Amazing! Next year, two more will graduate from high school. We are constantly amazed and grateful for God's goodness and provision.

Then there are the simple pleasures. Driving into Decatur from Huntsville or Athens and seeing the sunsets over the river, watching the flowers that were planted in the spring blooming profusely, singing songs of faith with our church family on Sunday mornings, watching our children be exactly who God wired them to be . . . . I don't want to ever take any of these things for granted. "Staying in awe" keeps me grateful.

CLEAN OUT WHAT IS NO LONGER SERVING A GOOD PURPOSE

Over the last year and a half, I have lost quite a few pounds. I finally got around to clearing the clothes out of my closet that no longer fit and was able to donate four big boxes full. What a difference that made in my closet and in my psyche.

For the sake of my children after I'm gone, I've started being a little more deliberate about keeping things or bringing new things into the house. I'm slightly more analytical. Has this object outlived its usefulness? Do I have a good place to keep this if I bring it home? A month from now, will I be glad I have it? Are these papers important, or do they need to be shredded or tossed? Books such as "Swedish Death Cleaning for Americans" by Christine Carlstrom have helped me think through such questions as "Will my children be happy to find this, or will they roll their eyes and throw it in the nearest trash pile?" Mind you, my efforts are still at the barely perceptible level, but they ARE taking place. Another mantra I am trying to adopt is "Love what you have." That one helps me appreciate and enjoy rather than constantly accumulating more.

The same idea has taken root in my attitudes and emotions. Why am I spending so much mental and emotional energy on things over which I have no control? Kevin Thompson's book "Stay in Your Lane" has helped tremendously, especially when it comes to relationships with adult children. I don't get to vote on their decisions and choices. My job, truly, is to pray that GOD will guide them. I can care without carrying the burden. Make sense? This is bigger in my life than you might think, considering I am a Chief Controller. Ask my husband and children.

TAKE THE EXIT

This is my way of saying "keep learning and stay curious." I was recently commissioned to write a book for Alabama Mountain Lakes Tourist Association called Take the Drive on I-65: Where Every Exit Has a Story. During the research for the book, Steve and I drove every mile of the I-65 corridor from Gary, IN to Mobile, AL in both directions. We took many exits and discovered interesting people and places, we learned fascinating history, we learned to appreciate the beauty in other states, and we ate some incredible food. How dull it would have been if we'd stayed on the interstate rather than poking around a few miles from the main thoroughfare.

Here's the way I said it in the book:

What makes a life have meaning involves people, interactions, relationships, beliefs, and discoveries. What makes a trip memorable is not the road that gets you from home to your destination and back in a straight line. A memorable trip will be about the people you meet or observe, the new lessons you learn, the dishes you try, the views and places you see for the first time, the regional accents and music you hear, and the feelings you experience along the way when you stop the car and get out for a bit.

I urge you to venture out of your normal routines and keep your eyes and heart wide open for what you might find.

PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO WHAT YOU ARE TAKING IN

My favorite bird is the Roseate Spoonbill. To be blunt, it has a face and body "only a mother could love." Odd-shaped bill, plump, gangly body, long, spindly legs, pink, beady eyes. Unusual, to say the least. Maybe I like these birds so much because I've seen them in some of my favorite places: Avery Island in South Louisiana and Sanibel Island in South Florida. Both spoonbills and flamingos have the pink color, but after that, they are vastly different. I wondered WHY that pink color was so prominent. Here's what I found on WildlifeNomads.com:

Specifically, the pigment canthaxanthin accumulates from the shrimp and other aquatic invertebrates these birds eat. The carotenoids bind to keratin in the feathers during molting. A spoonbill with a poor diet will look pale pink or nearly white. Adults with access to abundant prey glow in deep, saturated pink and rose tones. Juveniles start life almost entirely white with just a pale pink wash. As they mature and eat more carotenoid-rich food sources, their bright pink plumage intensifies year after year.

Did you get that? The pink color comes directly from what spoonbills are ingesting -- shrimp, crawfish, and such. The world can certainly watch me "wear" the results if I ever start eating a dozen donuts a day or way too much fried food, right?

Don't you think it's also likely that we start to look like what we are taking in mentally, spiritually, and emotionally? Aren't we likely to look/feel/think/behave in certain ways when we ingest a steady diet of social media, news talk radio and TV, and look/feel/think/behave in opposite ways when we consume the Word of God and surround ourselves with committed Christians who view life in positive ways?

Remember this song?

Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in His wonderful face.

And the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace.

And this verse:

Colossians 3:2 -- Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.

Maybe you can't do all of these things right this minute, but let me encourage you to start with at least one of these suggestions. I believe it will make a difference for you and for those around you.

#faith #encouragement