How to Stay Positive in a Negative World

by Hugh Fulford

Christianity is both positive and negative. There are two gates: the wide and the narrow. To be saved, we must enter the narrow and avoid the wide (Matthew 7:13-14) There are two ways: the broad and the narrow. To be saved, we must walk in the narrow and stay out of the broad (Matthew 7:13-14). There are two responses to Christ: saying and doing. To be saved, we must do the will of the Father in heaven, not just say, “Lord, Lord” (Matthew 7:21-23). There are two foundations: the solid rock and the shifting sand. To be saved, we must build on the rock and stay away from the sand (Matthew 7:24-27).

To be on the side of Christ, we must be what He was for and against what He was against. Christ was against many things that, sadly, the world approves of. Waylon Jennings, the “Outlaw” country singer, was raised in the church of Christ, but he left his spiritual roots because he said that everything he liked to do the church of Christ believed to be a sin! Well, Christ never said that we could do whatever we liked to do with His approval. Some things are wrong and sinful, whether we like to do them or not! There are the works of the flesh and the fruit of the Spirit. To enter the kingdom of heaven, we must avoid the former and manifest the latter (Galatians 5:19-26). Eight of the Ten Commandments were negative -- “thou shalt not” (Exodus 20:1-17). (Many moderns, including many preachers, would seriously question the way God chose to handle that matter).

That said, we do not need to be either all negative or all positive. We must strive for a healthy balance between the two. Unfortunately, some Christians have a difficult time seeing the good and the positive. For some, life is all gloom and doom. They dwell on their troubles and problems instead of their blessings and benefits. While righteous indignation is commendable, there is so much about life that is good and positive. We need to strive for a joyful, cheerful, and optimistic spirit. When I wake up in the mornings, the first thing I do before getting out of bed is to thank the Lord for another day of life and ask Him to help me to live joyfully, cheerfully, positively, optimistically, graciously, kindly, courageously, and lovingly. I would encourage all of my readers to take the few seconds it takes to earnestly and sincerely pray this prayer every day.

How can we stay positive in a negative world? Here are ten ways.

1. No matter what happens, look for the good in others. Just as there is some bad in the best of people, there is some good in the worst of people. If we look for it we can find it. We ought to refrain from harsh, critical, fault-finding remarks (cf. Matthew 7:1-5). We need to give others the benefit of the doubt, and before criticizing others try to walk in their shoes.
2. Speak kind and encouraging words to everyone you meet. ”A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver” (Proverbs 25:11). ”Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt (not pepper!, hf), that you may know how you ought to answer each one” (Colossians 4:6). It takes little effort to smile and to speak a cheerful word.
3. By a deliberate act of your will, fill your mind with what is positive. Think on good things (Philippians 4:8), remembering that as a person “thinks in his heart, so is he” (Proverbs 23:7). Strive to develop and manifest the mind of Christ in all things (Philippians 2:5).
4. Try never to surrender to negative emotions. We all experience negative feelings, but we must not surrender to them and let them control our lives. Our feelings and emotions are constantly changing. If we operate on feelings we will be in a constant state of turmoil and unrest and on a never-ending emotional roller coaster. Train yourself to be controlled by your mind rather than by your emotions and feelings. Be “transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:1-2).
5. Practice the replacement principle. Replace anger with tranquility, resentment with acceptance, and low-level conversation and speech with high-level conversation and clean speech.
6. Ban the suggestive and immoral from your mind. Keep your mind clean by reflecting on God’s will. Read your Bible and say your prayers. As Robert Witt, one of my Bible professors at Freed-Hardeman College (now University) often said, “We can’t keep the birds from flying over our head, but we can keep them from building nests in our hair!”
7. Determine to have an attitude of love and goodwill toward others. Change your attitude toward others and watch the attitude of others toward you change. Be a goodwill ambassador to others. Being such does not have to mean compromising with sin and error or approving of all the actions of others.
8. Express appreciation and warm feelings toward others. Do not be ashamed to express genuine love to others. One of the most healing therapies in the world is to give of ourselves in true friendship and service to others.
9. Set positive goals for your life. All of us need goals, dreams, and a purpose in life. Where these wither and die, we wither and die. What goals do you have for yourself? Physically? Spiritually? What goals do you have for your family? Dare to dream! Obviously, as we age and our health changes, we must adjust our goals accordingly, but regardless of our age, there is always a need for goals in our life. In his 80s, the late great preacher Jim Bill McInteer said that the word “retirement” was not in his vocabulary. Jim Bill was the epitome of a positive, optimistic spirit, all while being true and faithful to the word of God and to the church of our Lord.
10. Put positive actions behind your goals. Christian living is active, not passive. We are to “be doers of the word, not hearers only, deceiving [our]selves” (James 1:22). The fruit of the Spirit is proactive (Galatians 5:22-23). The more negative we become the less active we become. We must maintain a proactive attitude toward life and its challenges.

To stay positive, we must remember who we are, ”God’s own special people,” and act accordingly (Titus 2:11-14). To stay positive, we must remember our mission -- to diffuse the aroma of Christ in an otherwise foul-smelling world (II Corinthians 2:14-16).