“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”
– Joshua 1:9
I think many of us have a worse view of life than we need to have, and a lot of that is coming from the news and other sources of negativity in the world around us. Some of us have a form of “medical school syndrome,” a condition whereby first year medical school students, who are studying various diseases, constantly think that they’re sick. When they get a headache, they think they have AIDS or when they have a rash, they think they have leprosy. In a broader sense, this kind of thing happens to us when we’re constantly around negativity. Many of us see the news about everything bad that’s happening in the world and we feel like it’s falling apart. The truth is that it’s not! Oftentimes, things in our personal lives are going just fine, but because we are digesting a stream of negative headlines, our perspective is skewed and our view is clouded. Friends, here’s my advice to you today: turn off the news. Just turn it off, at least for a while. Make it a point to be around positive people and fill your mind with the Word of God. As you study it, your hope will be renewed. The Bible clearly states what’s going to happen in the end, so you don’t need to be afraid of anything. No matter what’s happening in your life or in the world around you, you can continue to be at peace and practice gratitude! |
Prayer
Jesus, I ask that you would fill my mind with your peace and give me the strength to tune out the negative voices in the world around me.
Reflection
Do you find yourself reacting to the world’s bad news? If so, what practical steps can you take to tune it out?
One Response
Is that a picture of you? Looks like a pencil pusher to me???
Attitude is something we can control! The world and people are made up of three things: faults, virtues, and peculiarities.
We will find what we are looking for! Look for the good and the beautiful instead of the ugly and the downers!. (usually that means turn off the TV and especially the news). China has a beautiful website that is chuck full of good news…
Joe