4 Evil people relish malicious conversation;
the ears of liars itch for dirty gossip.
Peterson, E. H. (2005). The Message: the Bible in contemporary language (Pr 17:4). Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress.
In order to change the way you speak and how you think, you have to change what you are listening to. You’ve heard the old adage, “garbage in, garbage out”. One of the most difficult things to do is to be positive while being completely surrounded by negativity.
Each year, I write out ten goals. It is a way to keep myself on track. I have a vision of where I want to go and who I want to be. I was raised up to be an optimist; however, life has a way of taking the wind out of your sails. I have been transparent, that 2016 was an extremely difficult year for me personally. One day Melissa came to me, and in her way of setting me straight, said you’ve never been this negative before. It was then I started to notice it in myself. I was really falling on the side of being negative.
Without a doubt, some negative things had happened, but always before I had could compartmentalize the issue or issues, and stay positive. So, when it came time to write out my goals for 2017, my main goal is to stay on the positive side of positivity. I even went as far as to write down how I intend to accomplish this goal. It’s one thing to have a goal; it’s quite another to have a plan to achieve that goal.
The scripture above gives us an insight into people who like a negative conversation. I refuse to allow myself to relish in a negative conversation; likewise, I refuse to have my ears itching to hear (or my eyes itching to see on social media) what is negative. If I want to be positive, then I cannot fill my ears, my mind and/or my life with negativity.
Yes, I understand that the person who does the speaking carries responsibility for talking negative; however, I have the power to decide what I want to hear. Have you ever thought about the conversations that you are engaged in? Have you filtered it through this thought from Paul?
Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies.
Peterson, E. H. (2005). The Message: the Bible in contemporary language (Php 4:8–9). Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress.
If I want to stay on the positive side of positivity, I must think on things that are true, noble, reputable, the best and not the worst. In order to keep my mind thinking that way, I need to set up guards on what I hear. I may not be saying those things; however, by listening to another person’s negativity, I have allowed a seed to be planted. It’s not a seed of positivity, it’s a seed of negativity. I am practicing an equally destructive behavior by listening to the destructive talk. When someone begins that kind of talk my friend, it’s time to walk.
Don’t relish in it! Don’t let your ears begin craving negative talk! Join me this year in staying on the positive side of positivity!