Lessons on Faith - Be Positive

One of the members of our congregation at Lakeline Oaks Retirement Community in Cedar Park, Texas, Donna, would wear a bee brooch every Sunday. She shared with my wife and myself the story about that brooch. Donna told us that her late husband gave her bee brooches to remind her to "bee" positive. Her story is truly inspirational and should be a lesson for all of us.

Part of overcoming the overwhelming is having a positive outlook and maintaining a joyful attitude. We cannot allow the problems that we face to get the better of us. We need to remain positive and look to our Heavenly Father daily with joy and thanksgiving in our hearts. The psalmist tells us in Psalm 100, "1 Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth! 2 Worship the Lord with gladness. Come before him, singing with joy. 3 Acknowledge that the Lord is God! He made us, and we are his. We are his people, the sheep of his pasture. 4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and praise his name. 5 For the Lord is good. His unfailing love continues forever, and his faithfulness continues to each generation."

Even when we are pressed from all sides by our problems and it seems like there is no way out, we should be joyful knowing that we have victory in and through Jesus' death and resurrection. In his second epistle to the Corinthians, Paul tells us in chapter 4, "8 We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. 9 We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed. 10 Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies."

As we suffer through our trials and troubles, we are sharing in the suffering that Jesus endured. By doing so, we become a testimony to the entire world that it will take more than trials and troubles to crush our spirits. Proverbs 18 tells us, "10 The name of the LORD is a strong fortress; the godly run to him and are safe."

When you face the overwhelming, do not let your condition or situation get you down. Do what Paul and Silas did when they were in prison in Philippi. Even after being arrested, flogged, and imprisoned for causing a public nuisance, Paul and Silas prayed and sang praises to God.  Instead of lamenting what they were going through, they ran to the safety of the Lord with songs and prayers on their lips.  

Just like Paul and Silas, enter into His presence with joy, praise and thanksgiving. Do not let life's problems be a negative, "bee" positive.