Nina Koleova
Within one family, we often meet siblings who grew up in similar conditions; They lived in the same countries, went to the same schools and shared many of the same experiences. Still, when they talk about their past, their outlook on life can be very different.
Why is it that two people can often have a very different perspective on their experiences? It may be partly related to our approach and whether we decide to focus on the good and what we can learn from our experience and what they can bring us instead of dealing with problems and failures.
If we base our perspective on life on the negative things we experience, we can get to the point where it is difficult to see or enjoy the good and beautiful that has made our life the way it is. When we deal with negative things, we can lose sight of the beautiful things we have been gifted with in life. With such a focus, we can push away people who try to help us and encourage us, because when we are in such a negative mood, it is almost impossible for us to accept anything good that other people say about us.
A positive attitude can change our outlook on life and how we look at the things that happen to us. We can decide if we will see the good in the given situation, or if we will focus only on the negative, which will make us somewhat disgusted by the passage of life. When we decide to look at the good, we can learn to focus on the things that make us happy, and not on the things we don’t like or that bother us.
I invited a little girl to my daughter’s birthday party, who literally walked around the house and complained about everything – from the size of the pool to the brand of orange juice I served, to the type of cake and the fact that she prefers other delicacies And treats. You can bet that not only did the girl not have fun at the party, but neither I nor my daughter invited her again.
People who focus on negative things sometimes remind me of cartoon characters with dark rain clouds hanging overhead. That’s a pretty depressing picture. And not only that, their negativity is contagious. It pulls the others down and can darken the whole outlook on life. Fortunately, if we decide to deal with good and positive things in life, we have the power to have the opposite effect on those around us. We can brighten someone’s perspective and help them make a difficult situation more bearable.
There is a sentence one of my teachers quoted in a prayer before the screening of a movie to our class: Help us ‘reject evil and vote for good”, Reformulated from biblical verses (1 Peter 3:11 and Isaiah 7:15). over time, when I was older, I realized that it was Excellent principle for living. Turn your back on evil and do good. 1 Peter 3:11 (SNC)
Every person encounters difficult circumstances, delays, difficult trials, unfair or unpleasant situations or people. We can’t control many of these things, but if we get angry and ‘throw’ a negative attitude, we make it worse.
The Bible says: Be happy people. (1 Thessalonians 5:16). Knowing that God is always with us is a great support for us, which helps us look at everything from the bright side. It also gives us the belief that everything will eventually help our good, even if we don’t know how yet. (Romans 8:28). Applying this approach to life can help us even when we go through bigger and possibly more serious situations.
…
God knows best
I once read a fairy tale about a king who had a good friend who always said: ‘God knows best,’ no matter what was wrong. Once they were hunting together and the friend assembled the rifle wrong, so the king accidentally shot his thumb. The king was so angry with his friend that he was sent to prison. When the friend was taken away, he said: ‘God knows everything best.” The king thought that his friend had definitely gone too far this time, because apparently nothing good could come of this situation. Soon after, the king went on an expedition, where he and his party were captured by cannibals. They were preparing a large pot in which they wanted to cook it. Suddenly they noticed that his thumb was missing. However, according to their strictly observed superstitions, the victim must be ‘complete’, so they were afraid to eat him and rather released him.
The king realized that his friend’s mistake had saved his life. He quickly had him called and apologized profusely for having him locked up in jail.
‘God knows best,’ replied the friend.
The king said, ‘Certainly for me, but what good was it that I threw you into prison?’
A friend replied, ‘If you hadn’t thrown me into prison, I would have been captured with you if you came across those cannibals, but I don’t miss a thumb!’
…
It’s a bit of a stupid story, but it has its point. God has a wonderful way to turn unpleasant and negative circumstances for good. If we make it a point to count the blessings we have, we will find that there are many of them. However, if we focus on the negative ones, we will find that there are also many. In short, it depends on what we decide to focus on!
Another big difference between a positive and a negative perspective is the way it affects our view of the future. When something doesn’t work out, our reaction is: ‘Well, I expected it!’ Or will we flip the switch and grab the opportunity by the scruff of the neck as a chance for something new and good?
I think the verse Philippians 4:8 It describes beautifully: Support all that is true, good and right, pure, sweet and commendable, that has a good reputation and is considered a virtue. The Bible also tells us: He who delves into the word finds happiness, he who hopes in the Lord is blessed! (Proverbs 16:20).
What life attitude will you choose?
