Friday, May 21, 2010

Negativity

Not positive; opposed to affirmative, Having the power of stopping or restraining; The sign of subtraction, a sign which indicates that the quantity to which it is prefixed is to be subtracted. -Noah Webster 1828

“I have never seen a man who could do real work except under the stimulus of Encouragement & Enthusiasm, & the Approval of the people for whom he is working.” -Charles Schwab


“Correction does much, (and is sometimes needed) but Encouragement does MORE! Encouragement after censure is as the sun after a shower. -J. W. Goethe

It takes NO thought and even less courage to be Negative.

Go back and re-read the “Definition” of Negativity again (Slowly)

Now ask yourself “Am I always putting Minus signs at the end of my thought patterns? Are my words and actions building people and situations and institutions up or am I tearing them down?

My mother used to have a little magnet sign on our fridge when I was a boy growing up it said simply…”Dear Lord if I can’t say something good about others, just help keep my big mouth shut.”


Somebody sent me this cut out from one of Max Lucado’s books… I know your busy but I just was so challenged by it myself I had to pass it along…

It is so easy to Focus on the Negative in Life, in Others…..

Lord Help Us!!

Deb & I are Trying to stay Positive!

We want to be Positive People….

Could you consider leaving some Positive Feedback?

See You in Church!

The Bad News Preacher

6 comments:

Nicole said...

Get rid of all bitterness, anger and rage, brawling and slander, along with all other forms of malice, be kind and compassionate to one another, just as in Christ, God forgave you.


I find negativity can be like other diseases and you inherit it from your parents- I fight back negativity with the scripture above.
Refreshing reminder of why I fight it- to subtract from those around you is a sad thing.

NONNA said...

As humans we get distracted by what we see around us..like Peter getting out of the boat. I keep praying that the Lord will help me see thru HIS eyes. Things look different from there. What we see as frightening or hopeless or disasterous, He sees as opportunity. But He wants to hear from us..LORD YOU ARE CAPABLE AND YOU ARE STILL ON THE THRONE..none of this is a surprise to YOU. We are in the shadow of HIS wings and there is nowhere else to turn. Lord have your way in our lives TODAY!! Amen!

Jo said...

You totally right Nicole. I am living example of of that kind of inheritance. Not to blame my parents for everything but I came from very negative family. At some point I realized that I have a "critical, judgmental and suspicious mind". It bothered me a lot.
However, I believe there is a hope for me. First of all I realized what it is and next I made a choice to be positive. Is it always so sunny in a Grumpyland? No way! Some days are better than others but it’s so worth it.
I pray every day that my kids will be free of the disease called negativity.

Unknown said...

Desire to rid yourself of negativity will bring challenges to test sincerity of the goal. However,with each fight won the task becomes easier.Plus it feels better to be encouraging rather than discouraging or to believe God has our problems under control making each harship but a "lil thing". So, I will join with Pastor Mark to continue to strive for continued positivity vs. negativity recognizing I must fight for such an awesome Goal. Thanks Father for helping me in this fight, let's fight on many around us are in need

Amal said...

I love to laugh, I mean LOL a lot of times... I came to realize that still somtimes I can be negative. God has helped me a lot and is still helping me to change my focus. My every day prayer is God help me to think the best of people and situations. Especially as a Christian, knowing that God is our helper and defender and that all things work together for good to those who love God and to those who are called according to His purpose.    

Judy Fanali said...

If I’m totally honest with myself, I can be negative and I don’t like that part of me. I believe negative people miss out living life to the fullest and more important miss out on the blessings God has for them. It holds them back from doing what God asks them to do. Negativity is a choice. I choose to be positive not negative, I choose to be useful not useless, I want to be Optimus Prime! Thank you Pastor Mark for your Blog and for all your great Bible Studies.