Bible Verse: Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—His good, pleasing and perfect will. (Romans 12:2)
Scripture Reading: Philippians 1:12-18
This week, we are looking at gratitude through the acronym T.H.A.N.K.S.
“You will get out of it what you put into it.”
I can still hear my mom saying these words to me. She said them to me regarding school, church, and even visiting certain relatives. She meant that if I went with a bad attitude, chances are I would have a bad time. However, if I went with a positive, grateful attitude, chances are I would have a good time.
More often than not, she was right.
These words were a loose interpretation of the verse, “A person reaps what they sow,” (Galatians 6:7).
We need to do whatever we can to bust the negative attitude that is all around us.
The news channels only seem to report what is negative.
Employment performance appraisals seem to have a negative tilt.
Even as a young parent, I tended to say “no” more than “yes” to my toddlers.
Dylan Matthews noted that, “Humans, it turns out, have what social psychologists call a ‘negativity bias’: We tend to pay more attention to bad-seeming information than good-seeming information.”[1]
Despite that bias, negativity still tends to bring us down. We need to break negativity.
Thankfulness is a powerful tool to do that.
When we are thankful, we focus on the positive things in our lives (and no matter how bad it gets, there are always things to be thankful for).
When we are thankful, we are filled with positive energy. This is why Paul tells us not to be conformed to this world (Romans 12:2). Don’t think like the world thinks. This world is passing away; it has every reason to be grumpy. But we are made for eternity. We are in a relationship with the King of the universe. We are loved by the God of Creation.
So, we think differently. We think from a thankful perspective, and that kills negativity every time.
Prayer: Lord, I have so many reasons to be thankful. I can start each day, end each day, and fill each day with thankfulness to You, and I still will never be able to exhaust Your kindness to me. So, fill me with a thankful spirit and, in so doing, banish negativity from me. Amen.
Reflection: Are you more likely to be negative than positive? Would you like to kill negativity in your life? How can you make thanksgiving a regular part of your daily life?
[1] www.vox.com/the-highlight/23596969/bad-news-negativity-bias-mediaCopyright © 2023 Impactus. All rights reserved.
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