Among the challenging aspects of our human nature is the Velcro-like stickiness of bad memories that so often shove their way to the front of the line in our hearts and minds.
It’s no secret that psychologists say it takes seven compliments to counteract the effect of one insult.
We humans just hold onto negative statements and other offenses much longer and much tighter than we should.
Compounding the problem is that we humans have shown that we’re far more prone to complain to and about others than we are to praise them.
It’s not good.
We don’t have to remain in such bondage of our nature.
We CAN transcend our tendency.
We CAN focus on the positive, both in how we view others and in what we appreciate in our own lives.
There’s a blessing for us if we’ll do so.
Something much better than continually crying over spilled is offered to us in Proverbs 13:12.
“Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.”
Listen, we’ve all had hopes that didn’t pan out. Some of them were huge boxes that weren’t checked.
Perhaps we’ve even grown frustrated with God because He hasn’t given us what we wanted.
If we’ve prayed faithfully, yet the hope has still not been met, you can be sure that He has a reason for withholding it temporarily or permanently.
It’s vital that we don’t allow that unmet yearning to control the steering wheel of our emotions and actions.
We’ll end up making irrational decisions if that occurs.
Not that we’ve ever done that, of course.
It’s so much better to focus on what God HAS done for us in the past regarding fulfilled hopes. For He has surely done much more than we’ve adequately given Him credit for.
As we dwell upon His record of favor poured into our lives, we will have less time to think about the yearnings about our wants and we’ll have a better attitude toward life.
Those are good things.
As always, I love you
Martin
