Positive Thinking

         For the past many of my posts, I've discussed controversial topics and displayed my opinion on how they interlink with what the Bible has to say. Many Christians today choose not to speak about such subjects, mainly because the opinions on these subjects vary from person to person. These topics are almost guaranteed to cause heated discussion when brought up among different denominational groups. Today, I'm going to talk about the one subject that most Christians (and even some atheists) can agree on as being a largely significant part of our spiritual lives: positive thinking.
         Every day, everywhere, at every time, bad things happen. We don't really need to remind ourselves this; it's a pretty obvious factor. People hurt our feelings, people lie, people betray us and disasters happen. What happens, though, when we start to notice these negative situations getting under our skin more and more, and begin to find ourselves reacting more strongly when these bad things impact on our lives? It's only natural for us to grow frustrated with our lives every now and then, but over time, the more we dwell on these bad things, the more they begin to take control over our entire outlook on life. We might not realize it, but these occasional negative thoughts begin to bleed onto our everyday thinking. We'll start to wonder over the smallest things, "What is the point in all this?" "Does God really have a purpose for my life?" "What if God doesn't really care about me at all?"
       Although these thoughts are nothing but poison trying to contaminate our relationship with God, these thoughts are not uncommon in Christians. We all stumble in our faith, and we all begin to question our value in God's eyes. But despite these thoughts being very natural, they will only grow stronger and more dominant in our behavior if we don't take the time to re-evaluate ourselves and figure out a way to remove the thoughts from our minds---FAST. Once the negative seeds are planted in our minds, they only continue to grow until the anger and frustration are so big we aren't able to get rid of their influence on our own. Although it might seem obvious, the best way to avoid these negative thoughts at all is to replace them with positive thinking.
       While the Bible has much to say about God wanting us to be happy---I'll list a few example verses here in a moment---positive thinking also benefits our bodies in scientific ways. If we allow ourselves to dwell on the negative all of the time, just think about how oppressed we would be, psychologically. We don't realize it, but negative thoughts are a big---and oftentimes unnecessary---burden to carry. Some people, however, have more of a tendency toward negative thinking than others. In fact, many people feel they're better when they engage in negative thoughts. Despite sounding like an oxymoron, it's not so hard to believe: bad things happen all the time, eventually it's natural for us to accustom to feeling numb in response to negative thinking and not realize how harmful it is at all. However, thinking negatively leads to long-time effects and should be taken seriously. This can lead to depression, which is not only a psychological issue but can also become a physical danger as well. Next time when we feel negative, we should ask ourselves just how thinking that way is really benefiting ourselves, or anyone around us: When we think negatively, does it change anything? Does it make things better? The answer to both of these questions is a solid "no." The only thing thinking negatively does is make a bad situation worse by building up poisonous emotions.
       What about when we approach a bad situation with positive thoughts? Does it change anything? Does it make things better? Realistically, the answer to both of these questions is also often a "no." Positive thinking doesn't always change bad situations, but then again, neither does negative thinking. From our own points of view, though, positive thoughts make dealing with bad situations easier on on both emotional and spiritual level.  Based on this evidence, I would be led to believe that we would be taking an unnecessary weight off our shoulders by approaching things in a positive light rather than in a negative light.
       Judging by the following Bible verses, I am led to believe that this logic is correct: "A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones." (Proverbs 17:22); "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope." (Jeremiah 29:11); "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things." (Philippians 4:8).
       God has a plan for each and every one of us, and each of us were given a different gift to utilize in different ways. Although we may get caught up sometimes in life, with work, and school, and every other problem that weighs us down, we have to remember to take the time to step back, put things in perspective, and thank the Lord for everything He has done for us. He has done great things for me, and I know He has done great things for YOU. It's our job to embrace that and have faith knowing this is the one solid truth in our lives. God wouldn't put us on this world if we didn't have a purpose, and He certainly isn't the one putting negative thoughts in our minds to blind us from seeing this purpose. It's not our job to compare our purpose to that of others; we are all different and are used in different ways. If we need help releasing our negative emotions before they get built-up, the best way is to open up the Bible, spend some time with God, and write down both the things we are grateful for and the things we admire about ourselves. If the emotions have already been built-up, it's OK to talk to someone about it, whether it's a professional or someone you trust and care about.
      My fellow Christian friends, I hope this has helped you see that God has our lives in His hands, and it's up to us to embrace that fact and approach the negative thoughts that come our way with this promise in mind. God bless.



                                                                            Danielle Forrester

Animals

    What role do animals play in this world? Probably every person who reads this question will have a different answer. Depending on the species, every animal has a varying role here on earth. Some animals---such as dogs and cats---make good pets and provide companionship. Some animals are a source of food. Some animals are hunted for sport or trained to do tricks for our own entertainment. The animal kingdom is undoubtedly an important factor in God's Creation. Without animals, humanity wouldn't thrive quite as well as it has. And if you're a person who enjoys having pets, you likely can imagine life would be boring without them.
    Just how important, though, are animals? What is God's view on their existence? The answer seems obvious; they must be awfully significant, if He created them before He created Adam! Plus, He saved them right along with Noah and his family during the Flood. That must mean God considers them pretty innocent, right? There are many people who would even go so far as to say animals are more innocent than people. Animals are loving, after all. Animals don't hurt our feelings or say unkind things. Because of their aura of innocence, people often admit they would choose to save the life of an animal before saving the life of a human. There are countless individuals who form organizations to protect the rights of animals. While I see no problem in this and believe that no living creature should be purposely tortured or abused, I also believe there should be boundaries in how much we exalt animals. For example, there was an acquaintence of mine who said she believed animals were just as important as humans; i.e., she believed that the murder of an animal was just as sinful as the murder of a human being. How can this be true, though? Does God honestly think animals are at the same rate of significance as humans? Taking evidence from the Bible, this is quite simply implausible. While animals do seem innocent, the reason is because they have no sense of morals. No sense of right and wrong. They function solely by instinct, and as much as we might like to think they do, animals don't have souls. They don't choose the path of Christianity or the path of Satan. They don't ask God for forgiveness of their sins or feel remorse when they kill another living creature. This may make them innocent, but it doesn't mean their behavior is always something to admire.
    Often when people hear the statement that homosexuality is a sin, they argue that homosexuality is apparent in many species of the animal kingdom, and believe this means homosexual behavior in humans must be natural as well. However, animals can also be seen eating their prey alive and even their own young. Does this mean we should state these actions as being natural in the human kingdom as well? From God's viewpoint, I think not. God says in Genesis 1:26-27: “'Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.' So God created man in his own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them." This proves that during Creation, God intended for humans to rule over animals, and that while it's our job to care for them, it isn't our job to compare our lifestyles to theirs. We were made in God's image---animals weren't. We were not intended to behave like they do.
    My fellow Christian friends, I hope this has explained why God considers us to be more important than any animal on earth, and that just because something is natural in an animal's lifestyle, doesn't make it natural in ours as well. Humans have souls and are blessed with a life where we have the option to make either right choices or wrong ones. Animals don't have decisions to make, and while it is unknown for sure whether our beloved pets will be in Heaven after death, it IS known that God will always love us since we were created in His image, and He will always want us to put our lives before the life of any animal. May we remember this for all the days to come. God bless.

                                                                                 Danielle Forrester