Turn Negatives into Positives

I have been really busy lately, at work and outside of work, so I haven't had a lot of time to visit and comment on blogs, or to write much in my own. But I woke up really early this morning and couldn't get back to sleep. While I was trying to get back to sleep I had this blog post rolling around in my head so I finally just gave in and got up so I could start writing it. I'm definitely a morning person so that's when my mind works the best.

When I got up and went to the bathroom, I noticed the toilet seat had been left up by my husband, so I had to put it down. When I did that I started thinking about how I'm always hearing women complain about men who leave the toilet seat up. Honestly, I don't see what the big deal is about it. All you have to do is put it down. It doesn't take a lot of effort or strength. Is it really worth spending your time and energy to complain about it? It's really not worth complaining about to me. If that is something that annoys you or makes you complain, why not turn it into something positive. Every time you come to a toilet seat that your husband or son has left up, why not thank God that you HAVE a husband or son. Wouldn't it be a lot worse to always have the toilet seat exactly the way you want it, but not have that husband who loves you and takes care of you and your family? I would imagine there are some mothers whose sons are in Iraq who would love to find a toilet seat left up by that son.

After this, when I was trying to get back to sleep, I was trying to think of other negative things that can be turned into positives. Here are some that I thought of....

When you are at your job and your work seems to be piling up, instead of complaining about it, thank God that you have a job and that He is providing for your needs through this job. Look at all the extra work as job security.

When co-workers start to get on your nerves, thank God that you have co-workers and you don't have to do it all by yourself.

When you encounter a rude person out in public, in stores or on the road driving, rather than letting them get your temper flared up, thank God for showing you what it looks like to be rude and ask Him to help you to be the opposite.

If you go to brush your teeth and find the toothpaste cap was left off, or someone squeezed the tube in the middle, thank God that you have teeth to brush (and then go buy your own tube and hide it.)

How about your email inbox being full of spam? Complaining won't change this. Just be thankful that you have the internet at your fingertips and think about all the good things that the internet provides.

So, your challenge for today is to turn something negative into a positive. If you are able to do it, let me know what the negative was and how you turned it into a positive. My own personal challenge came as I was leaving for work. I went to the fence to tell the dogs good-bye and to give them a pat on the head, and Emperor jumped up and put her dirty paws on my white sweater. I didn't have time to go in and change, so today I am wearing Empy's paw print. Hmmm....how can I turn that into a positive thought?

**Note to readers** My interest in having a positive attitude has come about from being around people who are very negative. It made me more aware of negative attitudes and has made me not want to be that way. I do my share of complaining, but it is something I try not to do if I can help it. However, I want to make sure anyone who reads my blog knows where my heart is. I do like positive thinking and I believe that our attitude affects every aspect of our lives, but for me it goes so much deeper than just positive thinking. For me, a positive attitude comes as a result of my relationship with Jesus Christ and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Yes, I do believe that I still have a choice about what kind of attitude I will have each day, but when my ability to be positive is at its weak points, I have a supernatural power to draw from and that is the power of God through the Holy Spirit. Having the knowledge and believing in my heart that God is ultimately in control and that He doesn't make mistakes gives me the strength to handle difficult situations that come about as a part of life. I have never read a self-help book or anything by Norman Vincent Peale. I'm sure those books have great advice and I might read one some day. But for now, I want to saturate my mind with the Word of God, the greatest self-help book on the market for all time.

Attitude

"The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company ... a church ... a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we embrace for that day. We cannot change our past ... we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you. We are in charge of our Attitudes." Charles Swindoll

I love this quote by Charles Swindoll. It is so true. You can make a choice every morning when you start your day about what kind of attitude you will have. Everything will not always go the way you want it to go, but the way you choose to react to the things that happen is what shows your true character. "...life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it."