Forty-Day Immersion: Day 11

The world is unprincipled. It's dog-eat-dog out there! The world doesn't fight fair. But we don't live or fight our battles that way - never have and never will. 10:4 The tools of our trade aren't for marketing or manipulation, but they are for demolishing that entire massively corrupt culture. 10:5 We use our powerful God-tools for smashing warped philosophies, tearing down barriers erected against the truth of God, fitting every loose thought and emotion and impulse into the structure of life shaped by Christ. 10:6 Our tools are ready at hand for clearing the ground of every obstruction and building lives of obedience into maturity. 2 Corinthians 10:3-6, The Message

Day 11

To be actively engaged in fitting every loose thought and emotion and impulse into the structure of life shaped by Christ cannot happen without one important component: a positive attitude.

Without a positive attitude, I am stuck right where I am at any given time. I will not gain any ground, and I am certain to lose whatever ground I have gained.

This is not some sugary unrealistic world-view. A positive attitude enables us to see things as they really are, and unlike a negative attitude, enables us to see things how they could be.

If I am negative, I drain away all my energy. If I am positive, and allow negative people to have unlimited access to me, they will drain away all my energy. Either way, I can’t afford to be negative – it is too costly.

I suppose everyone has worked with a dedicatedly negative person at some point. A black hole of negativity that sucks the life out of everyone who comes in contact with her or him. A person that takes pride in cynicism and “I-told-you-it-would-never-work-ism.”

Surround yourself with as many positive people as possible. Recruit them. Cherish them. Be a blessing to them. They are the ones, not the chronic negaholics, who will help move you, your project, and your life – forward.

Listen to this great quote from Admiral Jim Stocksdale:

”You must never confuse faith that you will prevail in the end – which you can never afford to lose – with the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever that may be.”

It takes faith to stay positive, and it takes staying positive to confront the facts of your situation with hope.

I must do three things, without question, about the importance of being positive: Own it. Live it. Multiply it.

There’s always room at the table for one more – I’m positive.