One of the things that most of us have learned is that it’s a whole lot more productive to celebrate positive things that are taking place than to focus on what’s not happening to our liking. There are lots of reasons for this, but one reason is that most of us respond much better to positive reinforcement than negative. We might be able to shame or scare or guilt people into believing or doing particular things, but if we really want to make a difference in this world, we should focus on sharing positive vibes in as many settings as we are able, because positive vibes are contagious!
We can likely all remember times when we’ve felt inadequate, disappointed, frustrated, angry (and a host of other negative emotions) about ourselves and others. When we share our negative emotions, the likelihood is that we will bring others down with us and we might spend a fair amount of time wallowing in those negative vibes. We can easily make ourselves and others feel inadequate, disappointed, frustrated, angry and/or defensive if we spend our energy on negative emotions. It is sometimes really, really, really hard, but if we choose to focus on the good things that are taking place and if we spread our positive vibes about these good things, then it can become contagious!
Please don’t misunderstand me. I’m not suggesting that we should take lightly the challenges that people and/or communities are going through. I’m not saying that anything goes and that we are to overlook or excuse bad behavior or sins against God. There are times when it’s appropriate to be angry, to be sad, to weep, to mourn. Jesus showed us by example that all of these emotions are legitimate and sometimes we need to honor and feel and experience whatever emotions come our way.
But sometimes we need to turn our negativity into positivity. I’m talking about the positive vibes that we can only experience when we allow the peace and love of Christ to enter into us so that we can extend that same peace and love to others. And friends, when we share those sorts of positive Christ-like vibes, we will shine and people will want some of what we’ve got. And what we’ve got is the love and grace and forgiveness we’ve received through Jesus Christ, and a desire to simply extend that love and grace and forgiveness to others, like Jesus taught us by example. And ultimately, love wins, y’all!
Peace y’all,
If you would like to print or share this edition of Claire…ification,
you are encouraged to use this pdf:
Claire – Positive Vibes are Contagious
To read past editions – you are encouraged to follow this link:
https://capitaldistrictnc.org/claire-ificaton/
