There are days, when we really have to look hard for things that make us feel good about ourselves, our lives, our futures or our past.  Those are the hardest days to get through, because we often find ourselves dwelling on the negative.  Add to that all the surrounding adverse news, political rhetoric and aches and pains of aging and you have a formula for total depression.  Who wants to live like that?  Wallowing in self-pity and hopelessness certainly isn’t my idea of a good time.

We have a natural tendency to accentuate the negative rather than doing the opposite. Something suspicious shows up on an MRI and we assume we have cancer, before it’s even diagnosed. We plant the seeds of that notion in our brains and there is no room for positive thinking. A loved one has an illness that seems to never find a solution. How do you remain positive in those situations? A mass shooting occurs, and we immediately blame the weapon rather than the perpetrator. Or children die and we wonder where God is. The economy has taken a dive and all your investments are taking a hit. Why is this happening? We blame God. We blame others. We blame things. How can we remain positive during times like this?

There will be struggles every day, but there will also be little glimmers of hope. Take those moments and dwell on them rather than looking at the yuck. Eventually they will outshine our negative thinking. God has a plan for every life He’s placed on this planet. He is consistently in control. Our troubles are nothing to Him. He can slay any of the dragons that tempt us or depress us. He has already conquered the devil, who is now serving an eternal sentence in the depths of hell. God loves us and wants the very best for us and all we need do is trust in His omnipotence. Being positive doesn’t mean we don’t care about the challenges. It doesn’t mean we will magically feel better or look at our struggles as tests of strength. Instead, we are focusing on what God has already done for us. His love endures forever.