There is always negative in life.Always.
Bad things should not be ignored completely (healing cannot come without acknowledging the problem) but when they happen the easiest response is usually to spend a few good hours/days/weeks/years enjoying the attention it gets us. It's easy and comfortable to let the negative overwhelm us because it allows us to be a victim and receive pity. It's also deadly because the longer we dwell in the negative the harder it is to see the positive.
Here are 3 ways to avoid being a Debbie Downer.
1. Be Thankful First: When we actually do the math in our lives we most often realize that our blessings far out way our complaints. In Philippians 4 Paul says to rejoice in the Lord always. Then he says it again... rejoice. This is an interesting statement when you consider that Paul wrote this letter while in prison. Even then Paul found more reasons to rejoice than to complain. He also mentions in the letter that complaining and grumbling are to be avoided in order to be blameless. When we start with being thankful it's hard to end with being angry because it frames our problems in God's goodness.
2. Look For Yourself in People: If we're honest the most common catalyst for negativity is people. We get disappointed, betrayed, stood up, etc and we throw a pity party. The easy thing to do then is to see the other person as an enemy, as different and dysfunctional. It's much harder to hate on someone when you begin with seeing the things you have in common. It very well could be that this person is acting like that because they feel the same stress to succeed that you do and they are doing their best to bring it about. It could be that this person is no later than I was two days ago.
3. Relax: It's darn near impossible to be happy if you never take care of yourself. Even Jesus stopped for a meal, got alone to pray, and hung out with his best friends a lot. If you're tempted to be negative go get a massage, spend time alone in prayer, spend time with your spouse, play a video game, watch espn, go to a concert, read a book, go snowboarding, or take a nap. When we are at ease everything seems easier.
Being negative, like cocaine, feels good at the time, but eventually traps us in an addictive cycle.
Don't be a Debbie Downer.
