Day 4

Fight for Optimism

Let's be honest- nobody likes to be with someone who is constantly complaining. Constantly venting. Constantly ungrateful or just in the dumps. I've been that friend before. I've had a lot of those friends before. YES! we all need the friends who stick with up during those seasons of brattyness or of confusion and sadness. I will never discount a friend who is persistent in getting out of the "hard places" in life. Sometimes it's just really hard to get out if it! However, if it turns out to be more than a brief period of negativity and you find your own personal morale heading south every time you talk with this person, don't be afraid to put some distance between you. Draw a boundary! They are oh-so-healthy!  Sitting around and commiserating = not healthy. Sitting around and pointing out the negatives in a situation or another person = not healthy. So seeking balanced friends who bring out the best in you= healthy. 

From experience, I've had some pretty intense Negative Nancies around and I found myself  being more and more negative, sad, annoyed and just, well..nasty to be around. Granted, we are all going to have our days where we are the negative friend. We will be walking through times of despair or confusion. We need the aid of a focused friend with fresh perspective to confide in.   Thank God for friends who are patient, loving, who pray with us and stick with us through these moments and seasons! But realize this:  if negativity has become a way of life for you, you assume the worse and see the down side of everything, chances are  you might also find yourself  lonely and without company. Seeking to be lifted out of the mental, emotional and spiritual mire that comes with bad times is different than sinking in and wallowing in the mud of despair. Know that it is a fine line. Seek counsel, prayer and move on out of it, sister! Otherwise, you just put a force field of "blah" between you and others. And that's not fun to deal with.

 Now, for the people who tend to be the positive person, hang in there. Hopefully you are surrounded by others who keep their negativeness to a minimum and are counting their blessings purely for counting blessings sake. Continue to be filling your heart and mind with scripture to take your own thoughts captive, to know truth to combat the lies that our enemy so often projects into our minds.Very often, our enemy does it through those we love the most which has always baffled me but it makes PERFECT sense.  Surround yourself with other positive people. If you find yourself having a hard day, ask for prayer. I think when someone chooses to be vulnerable enough to say they are having a hard time but show that they want to get out of that hard place, it's very respectable. Being positive keeps up on our guard so that when we are approached with a problem or a situation with a friend, we are more clear and true in our thought processes and can better lead them to Truth.

 I know I've had a lot of hard spiritual, mental, emotional battles that took a while to fight. Those who stood beside me and supported me were a God-send. Keep loving on your friend, if that is the case. Hold her hands up.  Find another friend to share the burden with too. We all need faithful, positive friends to hold us up during intense battle with our enemy!

For example..

Joshua did what Moses ordered in order to fight Amalek. And Moses, Aaron, and Hur went to the top of the hill. It turned out that whenever Moses raised his hands, Israel was winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, Amalek was winning. But Moses' hands got tired. So they got a stone and set it under him. He sat on it and Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on each side. So his hands remained steady until the sun went down. Joshua defeated Amalek and its army in battle.  Exodus 17:10-13

Now, I'm not saying you always have to be on your a-game and are never justified in breaking down but I am saying this, if it's a trend where you are always up and down, more negative days than not, find someone to talk with about this, pray for mental and emotional redirection and renewing in this area and  find the friends that will hold your hands up and keep you accountable during this battle for optimism. Then: FIGHT!