Be Positive
“For God chose to save us through our Lord Jesus Christ, not to pour out his anger on us. Christ died for us so that, whether we are dead or alive when he returns, we can live with him forever. So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.”
1 Thessalonians 5:9-11 (NLT)
The other day I came across an encouragement snippet that I posted two years ago on Facebook. I was surprised that I shared something profound:
“My encouragement for today: do not get discouraged by other people’s success. Most likely they only share the good stuff on social media. And most likely they worked just as hard as you. Just keep working hard and surround yourself with good people.”
As I am getting older, and see so much discouragement around me, I want to be even more positive. No, my life is not filled with happy days, all the time. Some days I get just as discouraged as everyone. However, if I keep thinking negative, and grumble all the time, I will be miserable. There is so much I am thankful for, every.single.day. I believe that if I share my ups and downs, my happy and not-so-happy life snippets, people will be more open to Who my strength is.
Paul wrote in Philippians 4:6-7 (NLT):
“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” (emphasis mine)
You see, that is just it!!! We need more of His peace in this life. I know that I have drawn a lot of strength from staying close to Him and His word.
Sweet friends, find something you can share in a positive way. You may be surprised about how far a positive encouragement can go. I know that I need to get back to my “encouragement posts” on social media. Will you join me?
Lord of Heaven and Earth. Thank You for Your word and your daily encouragement to seek the positive in life. Help me to guard my heart and mind in Christ Jesus. In the precious name of Jesus – Amen.
