I know someone I truly love beyond measure but whom sometimes I want to keep a little distance from because the person can be pretty negative. Our conversations usually start off positive, but then they can drift pretty quickly into the person saying one negative thing or another. Truthfully, for me it’s like looking in the mirror. The person doesn’t believe in the Lord, but I’m sad to say I spent plenty of years believing in the Lord and being totally negative. I can still become negative in a heartbeat if I’m not careful, and I have to be really vigilant in not falling into negativity and repent quickly when I do.
Even though it’s not fun to listen to people’s negativity, I’m actually thankful I have had this experience of listening to it. I now realize how much I have hurt others with my negativity most especially God and also countless others. I don’t want to be thought of by others as a woman of negativity. I want to be seen and heard and thought of as a woman of Thanksgiving to God!
What I would really like is for people to think of me as a huge, huge lover of the Lord who is humble, loving, joyful, peaceful, kind, caring, compassionate, giving, generous, etc. – and THANKFUL TO THE LORD! I want to influence people with my attitude, what I say, what I write, and my actions in such a way they are encouraged to be totally devoted followers of the Lord Jesus Christ! And I want them to be inspired by me and my life and ministry to love, praise, honor, rejoice in, adore, sing to, worship, serve, obey, glorify, and THANK THE LORD forevermore!
My heart’s cry for the person I shared about who can be negative is that the person repents and becomes a forever follower of Jesus who will thank and praise the Lord forevermore. This, friend, is my heart’s cry for us all!
“And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.” Revelation 5:13 KJV