Hang On To It

Do you ever wonder why negative things tend to stick in our memories easier than positive events? It might have been a harsh comment from someone we can't let go of, a relationship that fell apart, or a distant, tragic event that still seems fresh. Regardless of the source of this discomfort, it becomes a memory we struggle to move away from.

Recent brain research has actually revealed that negative occurrences function like Velcro in our brains while positive ones are like Teflon. It only very few seconds and no effort on our part for negative experiences to become imprinted into our memories. For something positive and encouraging to become part of our lasting memory however, we have to focus on it for about 15 seconds to make it last.

What positive thing will you intentionally focus on today? What moment of simple beauty will you capture by hanging on to it for a few seconds? Are we able to see a positive comment, a loving look, or a small step towards a goal and recognize it's worth keeping?

Look for something positive today and spend 15 seconds making sure it stays.

Finding the Good

When our minds and hearts are open to receive it, we can find good in any situation. My quick trip to Florida for my uncle's funeral provided several of those moments even as we all mourned his passing.

• Conversations with my wife as we drove: some serious and thought-provoking while others fairly mundane, but all appreciated
• Dinner and breakfast at two of our favorite places to eat
• Watching the sun come up over the ocean
• A great sense of peace in being back in my hometown even just for 24 hours
• The perfect timing of God that let us have a great lunch with my mom & Mario
• Time to talk with my aunt on the phone and in person 
• Big hugs from so many family members that I haven't seen in several years
• Hearing about the impact my uncle had on so many lives both young and old
• Running into a parent of former youth ministry members who still talk about the impact God had on their lives when we served together
• A chance to share the legacy of a godly man and speak the truth of Christ to family members

Even in difficult emotional times God shows us the good that is around us if we are willing to look. 

Looking Up

When we meet with our life group every other week I open the discussion with an extremely difficult question. We begin by asking each person to share their "high moment" from the week-describing something that was the best part of what they experienced. In all of my experiences in groups this is one of the most difficult questions to ask. It makes each of us carefully analyze our week and find something positive to share. Honestly, there are some weeks (and months) where this is more difficult than others. We struggle through the past seven days to find a highlight that is worth sharing. Sometimes it is a monumental event that we can't wait to talk about and other times we are sifting through the refuse of a nasty week to dig out a small morsel to cling to. The benefit of the exercise is that it gets us to open up to our group, but most importantly it is for us to see that God is doing something positive in each of our lives if we would take the time to find it.

Worst Case Scenario

We know we make mistakes unintentionally but tend 

to assume others acted intentionally. -Jim Putman

It's difficult to keep pushing forward when you feel that people automatically assume the worst about you. Instead of seeing the positive potential they focus on the negative aspects of your personality and character and do everything possible to shine a bright light on it. There is no grace given to fellow sojourners, but we cut them off as soon as mistakes and sin enter the picture. Without giving concern to the true intent of their motivation, we can make fast assumptions that do not build others up, but simply breaks them down.

How much better would our relationships be if we would assume the best about someone instead of the worst? One of the beautiful parts of our relationship with God is that He doesn't automatically assume the worst about us-He can see our positive potential. He offers new mercies to us each day because He believes in the good of who we are. He sees the desires of our hearts to honor Him with our choices. It's a perspective that only God has--the ability to see all that we are and not only hammer down on the negative. It's a grace-filled love that He gives freely to us and that should be passed on in the same way.