“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

— Philippians 4:13

Every time you open your mouth, think a thought, express an attitude, or take an action, you have a choice to do something positive or negative. Which do you most often choose?

Years ago, Art Linkletter encountered a little boy with an extremely positive attitude. On his television program, Linkletter asked the six-year-old boy, “Do you know why you were selected to be on my program?” The little boy said quite confidently, “Because I’m the smartest boy in my class.” Art asked, “Oh, how do you know that? Did your teacher tell you?” “No,” he replied, “I just noticed it myself.” No negative thinking there.

Do you face life with a similar positive outlook? Do you respond to difficult situations by saying, “By the grace of God I can.” Or do you give up before you start, saying, “That would be too hard for me.” A positive person will almost always find a way of turning a stumbling block into a steppingstone. In every situation, a positive person will ask, “Is there anything good about it?”

How do you respond to wrongdoing? Do you respond with criticism, condemnation, or gossip? Or do you respond with prayer, knowing that God can use you to bring His grace to another person’s life?

If you find yourself tipping over into the negative side of the positive-negative continuum, I have good news for you: Attitudes aren’t biologically determined. We don’t come into this world destined to look at life one way or another. Instead, the Bible says that old things can pass away and all things can become new. That includes our attitudes. For that reason, we need to immerse ourselves in God’s Word, the greatest accumulation of positive thinking the world has ever seen. As we read God’s Word and seek Christ first, He makes us new, positive, and joyous people.

Do you anticipate a potentially negative situation today? If so, good. You have an opportunity to develop a positive attitude toward challenging situations. Today, allow God to work in your heart to grant you a positive outlook on life.

“I have learned that success is to be measured not so much
by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles
which he has to overcome while trying to succeed.”
Booker T. Washington
(Former Slave)