Jun P. Espina 3 min read
Updated on June 2nd, 2022
Positive-mindedness! Yes, we need to be positive-minded in life. It is God’s will for us. Our natural tendency, however, is to be pessimistic. Only a few people are optimistic naturally. It is one explanation why only 10% become successful.
The apostle Paul taught that “In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thess. 5:18) But we cannot do it without sufficient reason. Some employ philosophical thought to see the sunshine of life. In the Christian faith, we give thanks to God through Christ and the reason is our Lord’s giving us free forgiveness, salvation and eternal life by faith in Him.
Positive-mindedness Through Auto-suggestion
Without faith in Christ, one can be optimistic through the mechanism known as auto-suggestion. It has to start with the philosophical conviction that positivism is the right trait to cultivate. A selfie, for an illustration, is a form of self-knowledge just like auto- or self-suggestion. Just keep on listening from a voice recorder, for example, about the virtue of being confident in life. Such is a form of auto-suggestion. Somehow, it works.
The Christian Brand of Positive-mindedness
From the Christian perspective, being positive-minded is equivalent to giving thanks to God through Christ in everything. For born-again believers, this trait requires no self-brainwashing. It comes to us naturally to praise God!
Aside from the indwelling Spirit of God in the soul of a real Christian, the other reason for the joyful tendency of the follower of Christ was well established by the apostle Paul: “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” (Phil. 1:21) If death is a profit of sorts, then all forms of trials in life are also a kind of benefit. Hence, true Christians always give thanks to God in everything, whether a painful or joyful experience!
How Positive-mindedness Works?
Whether a Christian believer or not, positive-mindedness is healthy an attitude as it works. Said Donald J. Trump: “Get going. Move forward. Aim High. Plan a takeoff. Don’t just sit on the runway and hope someone will come along and push the airplane. It simply won’t happen. Change your attitude and gain some altitude. Believe me, you’ll love it up here.”
As mentioned, optimism is supposed to be a built-in trait of the genuine Christians. Even then the apostle Paul commanded us to give thanks always. “In everything give thanks; for this is the WILL of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thess. 5:18) Why the command? It is because some believers choose melancholy over positivism for lack of maturity or sound doctrine.
God’s will is for us to be thankful to Him through Jesus Christ. Christ is mentioned in 1 Thessalonians 5:18 for no one can come to Father God outside of Christ. (cf. John 14:6) God’s will means it is what God wants us to do to obey and please Him.
Positive-mindedness lives in the soul of the pure believers. It is promised to them in the Holy Bible. It follows therefore, that they also experience optimism in the life repeatedly.
RELATED BIBLE VERSES
1 Thessalonians 5:16-17:
“Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; 18 in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
James 1:2:
“Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials.”
1 Jeremiah 29:11:
“For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.”
Romans 8:28:
“And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”
Psalm 37:4:
“Delight yourself in the LORD; And He will give you the desires of your heart.”
