Staying Positive. +++

Going about our everyday lives, it can be so easy to let the bad completely overshadow the good. Why do we do this?

Personally, I've come a long way from being the Negative Nancy I once was. Not so much negative in my speaking, but more so in my thinking and attitude. People... the mind is such a powerful thing. I'm sure you've all heard that before. Negative thoughts can so easily consume you to the point where it just becomes so prevalent in your life that it becomes the norm for you.

It's truly so much easier to think ten negative thoughts then to have one positive thought a day. Things don't go the way we want, people don't always do what we want, and situations don't always work out the way we want.

I began to realize during my senior of high school just how much my negative thoughts and speaking were pulling me down. It was as if I was in this constant state of focusing on the bad surrounding me. When did I became such a negative person? And it's crazy because while I was in this negative state of mind, I would turn around and try to tell my friends how they should remain positive through all their adversities. WHAT A HYPOCRITE.

Of course I was pretending like I was Ms. Positive. However, that most definitely wasn't the case. Now, the question is, what did it take for me to change my state of mind? First, realizing that you gain positivity in every aspect of your life just by reversing your thoughts and thinking positive. 

Staying positive is so vital, to me. It's as if once I made this conscious decision to stop keeping myself in bondage of negative thoughts, the world began to look differently to me. My insight on things changed. I didn't look at things for how awful they were to or look at situations for how terrible the outcome appeared to be. I was able to at least try to find the positive when the negative was placed right in front of me.

Why is it so important to stay positive? Well, for one, thinking positive can lead to positive actions and people are drawn to other positive people. 2) In a world full of harsh negatives, a positive light will always outshine the negativity. 3) I think staying positive just makes for a happier you. 4) Won't so easily be dragged down and discouraged to do things in life. Negative thoughts or even negative people can make you feel as if you're incapable of accomplishing something or make you feel like  you're not good enough. A lot of missed opportunities comes from that. 5) I believe positivity can evoke change, in a good way. The list goes on...

The way I stay positive is through prayer, meditation, and making the conscious decision to be positive and have a positive attitude everyday. Yes, there are days when negativity might creep into my head or spew out of my mouth. However, it's not nearly as bad as it used to be.

Try to spread positivity wherever you go. Start with yourself first though. The negative will work its way in from time to time, but it's nothing you can't overcome.

Stay positive, people.

Story Time: Church People.

You're probably looking at the title of this post thinking I'm going to go on some rant. No, no I'm not. I'm just going to tell you a little story. A story that appalled and puzzled me.

A close friend of mine recently joined this new ministry. She's been going to studies, going to church every Sunday and she even went on a retreat a couple of weekends ago. I've witnessed an amazing change in her; spiritually, mentally and emotionally. One of the people she met in this ministry she became really close with and spoke so highly of when she would tell me about her. This person was helping her out so much with her walk with God, and I was just amazed at how much of blessing she had become in my friend's life.

Well, a few days ago, a problem came about and my friend was not happy with what she was being told from this particular person or the two other people that were brought into the equation. They didn't agree with a decision that my friend had made so they felt they should try to help her "change her mind." She was in a relationship with a certain guy before she made the major changes in her life. They basically were telling her that this guy was detrimental to her new life. They thought he was some kind of demon in her life. (her words, not mine) If anything, she could help him in his life just like the new people she had met helped her, but they didn't see it that way. My friend is far from a follower, she's very much so a free thinker and once her mind and heart are set on something, there's no changing that. I guess they had never encountered someone like her at their church.

I got in the car with my friend the other day and the first thing she turns to me and says is: GIRL! Now if you don't know, in "girl language" that meant she had something very important to tell me and I should focus all of my attention on her. I did just that. She proceeds to tell me that she met up with the group of people from church that were trying to change her mind. Well, since she had no intentions of changing her mind, they told her to.... LEAVE THE CHURCH. She went on to tell me that not only did they feel like she should leave the church but that she was "poisoning" everyone else by staying there. Ludicrous, right?

For a moment, I was at a loss for words. I had only heard about this type of thing happening. I've never witnessed it firsthand. I was livid. How could I not be upset for my friend? She had come to love this ministry and the people in it and now they were telling her she needed to leave.

The whole car ride I just sat in the passenger seat thinking intently on the story I had just been told. It then came to me that this very situation is where the negative connotation that "church people" receive comes from instances like the one my friend had experienced. I'm a "church person" myself, but it would never cross my mind to do something like that to someone nor would I ever think that something like that would happen to me. I enjoy every uplifting moment of being at church and being able to worship such an amazing God. Why try to take that from someone?

I guess what I'm trying to say is as "church people" we want to openly welcome more people into the church so they can worship along with us. We shouldn't PUSH people out, especially because they're not following someone's "rules". I think the more situations like this occur the more people will continue to equate "church people" with something that holds this weight of negativity. They're given reasons to think this, after all.

I'll finish by saying this... The church is meant to be made up of people who are committed to LOVE each other and to HELP each other mature and so become more holy. (and don't get holy confused with being perfect)