18 | Be Positive

So we've settled down in gratitude. We've quieted ourselves in contentment. Hopefully these past few days of being still have brought you to a warm and fuzzy positive place.

Is a moment of stillness dedicated to being positive redundant?  Overkill?  Just when I started second guessing my plan to write about being positive today, God plopped this in my email inbox.

Harness the Power of Positivity in Social Media

The power of positivity. It's not just a nice thing, a good thing. It's a powerful thing. Positive actions carry God's power: his love, his grace, his righteousness.  When we are positive, we are proclaiming the good news of the gospel through our words and actions. 

And in then, in that same emailed post I found this quote: 

I shall pass this way but once; any good, therefore, that I can do or any kindness that I can show to any human being, let me do it now. Let me not defer nor neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again. -- Dale Carnegie

The author of How to Win Friends and Influence People, wrote that. But it sounds an awful lot like something Jesus would say. It sounds exactly like the way Jesus lived his life. 

When God plants these messages square in front of my face, when he leads my thought process in this manner, it's pretty clear what he wants us to focus on in this sweet, still moment today. 

Be Positive. 

So let's dedicate a quiet moment to putting positivity in our hearts and minds, for now and for the rest of the day. 

Lord,

As I breathe deep and slow down in stillness, I invite you to transform this quiet time into a positive time.  Help me to look up at your goodness, instead of getting dragged down in the dust and debris of this world.  Help me to turn my eyes to you and your glorious ways, rather than the negatives and frustrations that are of this world.  And be in my thoughts, my words, and the meditations of my heart, filling them up with your light and your grace to the point where I overflow with positivity for everyone in my midst.

Everything that is good comes from you.  And everything that you are is good.  Bring me back to your word when I forget this, Lord.  Remind me of your pervasive, positive nature.

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.  His love endures forever.  Psalm 136:1

When I look to you with hope, I grow strong and resilient in your strength.  In this moment and in this day I want to hold fast to you and all things that are good.  I want to remain focused on whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and admirable.  I want to reflect your positive and loving nature, so that when others see me, they see your glory and goodness shining through me.  I want to be a living exhibit of your grace.

I want to voice your good news.  In my conversations with loved ones, friends, and strangers, help me to lift them up, to be kind and patient and positive, so that they feel embraced by your unconditional love as well as my own.

Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.  

Ephesians 4:29

I want to let my light shine in my corner of the world today, Lord.  Help me to fill up with the quiet and satisfying stillness of your positive nature now.  Help me to carry it with me throughout the rest of my day.  Be with me as I walk in my "positive pants," and lead me to the people and places who most need a healthy dose of your goodness and grace.

Amen