Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Philippians 4:8. In other words be inspired by Good News, not Bad.
We all know how hard it is to abide by this verse. I mean let’s face it, it’s just easier to keep a conversation going if we are talking about the negative things in life.
I recall reading about a newspaper, determined to concentrate on only the good things in life.
It failed.
The reality is that bad news sells. We only need to look at this example to prove that we live in a world of children of darkness rather than light.
Let Us Try An Experiment
- You need two volunteers sitting next to each other and some listeners.
- Now, the person on the left will ask the other person, “How are you?”
- The person on the right needs to answer without saying anything negative.
- When a negative comment is made, stop the conversation.
- Everybody else listening needs to put their hand up if they hear a negative comment.
Now if that wasn’t hard I don’t know what is. The fact is we are negative out of habit and the society around us capitalizes and encourages it. But we are children of light and we should be doing everything in our power to combat this negativity. There is power in rejoicing but the complement to rejoicing is to be positive people.
Inspiring Buildings
I recognise that Robert Schuller has attracted a lot of negative attention. Some, if not much, of it may be deserved. But that just enhances my argument that the world goes toward the darkness rather than the light. Many years ago, I had the opportunity to visit his Crystal Cathedral. Much to the protest of the friend I was staying with. Who saw the whole thing as an empire-building effort on the part of Robert Schuller. But she went with me because I was a tourist and I wanted to see it.
The building is impressive and there is something there that even she detected. Which was a surprise to me given her protests. You see something which is inspiring is hard to overcome with darkness.
I remember a youth group that I helped run. One day I challenged them to try and think of things we could do as a youth group that inspired us. We did a few things that each of them wanted to do and I know that even today they think of those times with fondness. But I also remember one particular event. We went to the top of the Rialto building. One of the highest at the time. The view inspired me. I don’t know about you, but inspiration is the thing that drives me more than anything.
Inspired in New York
I remember being inspired while visiting New York. One of the beauties of being in the Christian world is the number of contacts you can acquire and impose upon for free accommodation. I had planned on visiting Teen Challenge but somehow letters had passed in transit and there was no accommodation till Monday and I arrived on Saturday night.
I went to my backup plan and called on some people that I had come to know when my late best friend Eric and I were living in a Kibbutz in Israel. It turned out that they had just had a death in the family and could not accommodate me either. So I went to my next backup and made my way to the youth hostel.
But they were full.
I finally decided that I would forget the cost and stay at the hotel where the youth hostel was situated. It hurt a little, money-wise, but I had to have a place to stay. By this time, however, I was bored and I went out for a walk.
Before I arrived in New York I had been in Washington DC. The other travellers that I had met in the Youth Hostel there, assured me that one of the cheapest and most entertaining things to do in NY was to visit the coffee houses and strike up a conversation with the NY’kers that were sitting at the table. So off I went.
You know what?
Every coffee house I went to was empty! There was not a sole to be found. Perhaps they saw me coming. I said to myself, “This is NY, there are millions of people living here, you have got to be kidding”.
Inspired By The Empire State Building
I decided to try to alleviate my boredom by going to the Empire State Building. When I got there I found a sign posted out the front saying there was Zero visibility at the top.
Now my family will tell you that I have a controlled fear of elevators. My eldest son will attest to the fact that it is not a good idea to stir Dad up about this fear whilst in a faltering lift. When we were in Disneyworld there was a ride that I desperately wanted to go on, that involved an elevator. I sent two of the boys ahead of me with instructions to let me know if they thought I would cope. They came back with this response: “Dad it is an awesome ride!” Which got me very excited. And then they dropped the other shoe and said “But you’d never cope”.
So with this in mind, you can understand the measure of my boredom I had in NY if I tell you that I rode no less than three elevators to get to the top of this building to see the sites of Zero visibility. But I was inspired. Not by the zero visibility but by the need to overcome the boredom. The only way to overcome the darkness was to go forward into the positive.
The World Trade Centre still stood proudly at the time. So I decided to challenge my boredom once more. But when I saw the glass elevators on the outside of the building I decided that I was not that inspired to overcome my boredom.
Inspired in Queensland
But I do remember one year in Queensland.
We went to a park where you were able to walk through the canopy of the park via suspension bridges. There was one tree that had a ladder attached so you could climb right to the top without damaging the tree. I made it to the top of that tree and the view was magnificent. I was inspired. Not only that I managed to climb to the top, despite my fear of heights.
I was told I also inspired the lady behind me. This was very pleasing. She very generously offered to take my photo. Mind you, part of her inspiration was that she could see from my white knuckles I was not capable of removing my hand from the guardrail. I was so terrified.
Positive Thinking Books
Being positive is something that can only be developed. We have to work hard at it. The world abounds with books on positive thinking and such books are often shallow and attract very heavy criticism from the media and the world. The irony is, that it is often this same media that promotes these books.
The thing is, positive thinking books are promoted because the world knows that there is often something in positive thinking. But being the world that is more attracted to darkness rather than light. It becomes part of the game to pull down that which has been built up and destroy that which has been created.
It gets worse though. Because there is a counterfeit for every good thing and it is just perfect to promote something full of wholes because it is much more sensational to pull it down when it fails. So we end up with this insidious circle where we build up that which is bad so that we can create more attention to it when it brings about disaster.
As I said there is something in Positive thinking or it wouldn’t attract such attention.
The Power of Positive And Possibility Thinking
In my view, two of the best Positive And Possibility Thinking books are:
“Possibility Thinking by Robert Shuler” (hard to find now).
and
“The Power of Positive Thinking” by Norman Vincent Peel.
I remember a very dark time in my life a good number of years ago. I found nothing to be inspired by. A friend gave me a book called “The Power of Positive Thinking”. This too has come into a great deal of praise and criticism. One of my colleagues in Bible college called it pulling yourself up by your bootstraps.
But it inspired me. I was lifted by one reading in particular.
Isa 40:31* Yet, the strength of those who wait with hope in the LORD will be renewed. They will soar on wings like eagles, will run and won’t become weary. They will walk and won’t grow tired.
We are called to build each other up. Inspire ourselves with whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
But we are not left alone to do it. We have the power of the Holy Spirit to call on.
So here is my challenge let us be positive with each other.
Fairdinkum.
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