Thursday, June 7, 2012

Be THANKFUL, Not Critical

One thing that I can  barely stand to be around is critical, negative attitudes. It’s not the people that I dislike, but I refuse to allow myself to be around others who are constantly complaining about everything. I do try to be as nice is possible, love on them and encourage them, but I also limit my time around them. It is way too easy to get sucked into that, and we have to guard our hearts.

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I feel like social networking has made this even more rampant than ever….don’t you think? People whine and complain about EVERYTHING and feel the need to publicly display every negative thought that runs through their head! It’s annoying, and even offensive sometimes. I t especially bothers me when people complain about circumstances that are within their control and could be changed with a little effort.

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I know life is not always sunshine and roses, but really…we have SO much to be thankful for and so many positive things we can choose to focus on instead. It’s a conscious choice we make, and I prefer an optimistic perspective. Of course, I have to have help with that. Even right now, it probably sounds as if I’m complaining about people complaining. Ha, ironic, huh? I’m not trying to….I really just wanted this to serve as a reminder to all of us, especially me, to get my attitude in check and make sure I’m not being negative or critical. That brings others down, and we are put here to encourage one another! Sometimes we just need a little reminder to change our perspective. It’s hard to complain when you’re overflowing with thankfulness….

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Check out this devotion:

God is calling you to a life of thankfulness. He wants all of our moments to be punctuated with thanksgiving. The basis for our gratitude is His sovereignty. He is the Creator and Controller of the universe. Heaven and earth are filled with His glorious presence.

When we criticize or complain, we are acting as if we think WE could rule the world better than He does. From our limited  human perspective, it may look as if He’s mismanaging things. But we don’t know what He knows or see what He sees. If God pulled back the curtain to allow us to see the Heavenly realms, we would understand much more. However, He has designed us to live by faith, not by sight. He lovingly shields us from knowing the future or seeing spiritual warfare. Acknowledge His presence by giving thanks in all circumstances.

2 Corinthians 5:71 Thessalonians 5:18

4 comments:

Jenn @ Bliss to Bean said...

LOVE this post. I also believe you get what you put out there! If you're unhappy and miserable, that's all that will come your way. If you look at all the wonderful things and stay optimistic, then life is great! It's not always perfect, but for the most part, you have to love what you are given and currently have. Great post from such a beautiful girl!!

Kate said...

Ditto! I could have wrote this post myself!

Micah said...

I agree with so much of this. I started "hiding" people on my fb newsfeed who were constantly negative/whining/complaining/judgmental. I get that everyone has a bad day and might get aggravated once in awhile, but the constant stream of that was not doing me any favors.

A few years ago, I went through a falling out with a friend. And only after she was gone did I realize HOW much she had been bringing me down. I never noticed that she was always trash talking other people and complaining. It was really freeing to be rid of that.

christa said...

So true. I believe you choose happiness and we can find the good in all things. Sometimes I get angry at things I cannot control, but I belive all things happen for a reason, although that reason isn't always apparent to us at the time.
Great post!