Spreading Like Wildfire...(Change Within Series Part I)

August 26, 2009

Danielle Joyner Kelley

“Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.” 1 Peter 3:9.

Negativity has a tendency to spread like wildfire, and makes everyone, including ourselves, feel bad. Why we continue to spread something that makes us feel terrible is a question that is difficult to answer.

One action taken by a person affects many people. For example, if someone is cut off in traffic and goes to work and takes it out on everyone else their colleagues may have a bad day as a result of their action. If those colleagues go home and take out their frustration on family members, those relatives may have a bad night. The next day they may go to work and take it out on their colleagues, and on and on it goes.

People get bogged down and obsessed with the negative. Over and over, you will hear people telling of horrible things going on in their lives. The irony is that the more they complain about it the more upset they seem to get.

Our obsession stems from our inability to let go. When we feel insulted, our pride is hurt, and we have a tendency to hold on to resentment. God has warned us against doing this repeatedly. Out of love for us, He knows that when we hold on to the negative we feel horrible. He trains us to see Him through the problems of life because He is the one who turns them around. “God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well.” 2 Thessalonians 1:6-7.

Without the bad, we are unable to see what is good because we learn by opposites. For example, we know what the color red is because we have seen a different color, and we know we like to drive certain vehicles better because we have driven different types.

We expend so much energy dealing with the negative in life, and the truth is that if we would expend half as much of that energy dealing with the positive things, we would see a difference in not just ourselves but others as well. Nonetheless, we cannot ever change people, so it is best to change ourselves. We can do this by refusing to allow others and the world to define what type of mood we are in.

The most important lesson is that doing the right thing is sometimes a battle. We crave revenge, and when our pride is hurt we are willing to do whatever it takes to make a point. However, the point we make is fleeting and will only be remembered for the bad it spread to others. In the meantime we forget that it is the opposite that produces the good result. Doing the right thing may seem unpleasant, but later it is remembered, and you are remembered, for the good you did. “No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.” Hebrews 12:11.

Only out of the bad comes the good, out of the negative comes the positive, and out of adversity comes triumph. To obtain happiness, you must embrace the good and walk forward when the bad presents itself to you. Refuse to spread the negative through your own actions, and remember when you are facing the negative in life, you are about to inherit a blessing. When the blessing comes upon you, God shows everyone that by conquering the opposite it is His own hand at work. Do whatever you can to show Him you are willing to accept the blessing through your actions. Simply put, spreading the negative constantly tells Him you are refusing His blessing, which in turn hurts only you.

Face the bad with the mindset that good is right behind it. “But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed.” 1 Peter 3:14. In doing so, you not only stop lighting fires in others lives,

But you put out the ones in your own life as well.