Dance in the Puddles

We’ve all been there. We’ve all had stormy days (or weeks…or months) that challenge our faith and threaten to derail us. But what if I told you that God never intends for us to have “a horrible day,” even when things aren’t going our way? It’s the truth. Even when bad or inconvenient things happen to us, God wants us to expect good things and stay filled with hope, regardless of our circumstances.

Amos 3:3 (NIV) says, Do two walk together unless they have agreed to do so?

When bad things happen, everything inside of us may feel like being negative or giving up. But that’s not how God operates. He is full of hope, and if we want to be hopeful, we need to get in agreement with Him.When we choose to respond to negative situations in a positive way, we are agreeing with God, because God is always positive.

In fact, do you know that most of the time it’s not our circumstances that make us unhappy, but it’s our attitude toward what’s happening that has the power to make us miserable or joyful?

For instance, if something disappointing happens—and these things happen to all of us—there’s a temptation to feel sorry for ourselves, get frustrated, and want to throw in the towel. However, if we wallow in self-pity or have a resentful attitude toward the life we have, it’s only going make our circumstances worse!

On the other hand, if we choose to keep a positive attitude, God can take even the bad things that happen to us and work them out for our good! (Romans 8:28).

I often encourage people to play “The Glad Game.” What is it? When you’re faced with a negative situation, choose on purpose to look at the potential good! For instance, if you get stuck in traffic, say, “I’m moving slow and running behind, but maybe God is protecting me from an accident that would have occurred if I was going faster.”

This works for any situation, big or small. Even if it’s something as important as losing a job, you can choose to shift your focus to the positive and say, “I may be out of work, but now I have an opportunity to watch God provide me with a better job than I had before!”

You may think, Joyce, do you really live like this? Yes, I do! I used to be one of the most negative people I knew. I used to say, “I’m not going to expect anything good to happen so I’m not disappointed when it doesn’t.” As you can guess, I was quite miserable and also made everyone around me miserable. If I was having a bad day, I could easily make it worse!

But I discovered that was no way to live. Now, I can honestly say that I’m a very positive person. It’s a choice, but it’s one I gladly make each and every day because I want to live a life filled with hope and joy.

Isaiah 30:18 (AMPC) says, …The Lord [earnestly] waits [expecting, looking, and longing] to be gracious to you...that He may have mercy on you and show loving-kindness to you....

Think about this for a moment. God is just waiting and expecting and looking for ways to be good to you. In fact, no matter what life brings your way, He already has a plan to make it better—a plan filled with hope and good things!

I encourage you to get in agreement with God. Approach each day with a positive, hopeful attitude. When life gets stormy, instead of staying frustrated and upset, choose to dance in the puddles, knowing that God is looking out for you and has so many good things ahead.

Prayer Starter: “Father, I thank You for the ability to enjoy life even when everything isn’t going my way. Help me to have Your perspective and choose positive, faith-filled thoughts when things get stormy. I ask for Your grace in each moment to choose hope, knowing that You are always working on my behalf for good. Help me to make every day a good day, regardless of what’s happening around me. I can only do it with Your help! In Jesus’ name, amen.”