Think on These Things: Positive thoughts in a negative world…
With a new year upon us, I’ve been praying about a blog theme for 2021. None of us will be sorry to leave 2020 behind. It was a year filled with disease, distress, and disappointment. As if the pandemic wasn’t bad enough, we had to deal with political turmoil, fake news, shutdowns, financial setbacks, finger-pointing, and hate. Unfortunately, we will probably have more of the same in 2021. The world can be a very negative place. It can be a challenge to keep negativity from creeping into our lives and consuming us.
Just how does one remain positive in a negative world?
Using the Bible as a resource, the first scripture I thought of was Philippians 4:8 (KJV)—one of my favorites: “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” I just kept repeating the words “think on these things” over and over in my mind.
Either God was whispering in my ear or I have a one track mind, but my 2021 blog theme will be to think on the things mentioned in Philippians 4:8.
The Bible also tells us that as a person thinks, so he or she will live (Proverbs 23:7). So what we think about makes a difference. Yes, it is good to know what’s going on in the world, but to feed on murder, injustice, politics, hate, and health crises 24/7 is not healthy. After a daily update, we can move on to other things. Do we really want to spend our precious time looking for conspiracies which, if they do exist, we can do nothing about? Would it not be more productive to improve our outlook or make a difference in someone’s life? What we fill our minds with in life determines whether we will curse the darkness or light a candle.
It’s not enough to block negative thoughts from our minds through some form of escapism. To make progress, we have to actually replace them with good thoughts. A person with good thoughts is an asset to the world. It reminds me of this quote from The Twits by children’s author Roald Dahl: “A person who has good thoughts cannot ever be ugly. You can have a wonky nose and a crooked chin and stick out teeth, but if you have good thoughts they will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely.”
So come along with me on a lovely new journey this year. Let’s explore some positive thoughts that might help us cope in a negative world. Then maybe we truly can have a happy new year!
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“Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” ~Philippians 4:8 (KJV)
