Lesson 8
I. Introduction.
Ask yourself this question. Given all that Jesus has done for
us, all that other Christians have done for us, and given the
hope that is to be within us, should the Christian be an optimist
or a pessimist? An optimist is defined as one who takes a favorable
view of happenings or possibilities. It is a disposition or tendency
to look on the more favorable side of happenings or possibilities.
Also, it is the belief that good ultimately predominates over
evil in the world. I John 5:4-5. The pessimist, on the other hand,
is the one who habitually sees or anticipates the worst, or is
disposed to be gloomy. He holds to the doctrine that the existing
world and all things in it naturally tend to evil and unhappiness.
We as Christians may often find ourselves feeling that the bad things or evil in the world has overcome us. This is the time that we need to use our faith to overcome and look to and share the happiness that should be ours as children of God. It has been said that this life is no cakewalk, and there may be times when this is true, but the only way that we can overcome feelings of inadequacy, remorse, unhappiness, doom, gloom, and despair is to look for and see the good in a person or situation through our hope that is within us coming from Jesus Christ. Phil. 4:13.
How many people have you come across that never seem to find the good in a situation, or never seem happy, or never are able to say anything without giving it a negative connotation? Have you ever seen this within Christians? Have you ever listened to a speaker take a very happy and pleasant subject and cause the audience to feel bad about themselves and others? On the other hand, have ever known someone that made you feel good whenever you were around them, no matter what.....?
One of the things that I concentrate on in teaching is to make the situation a pleasant and happy one for my students. This is not to say that I do not maintain discipline or fail to teach my subject matter. But there is true joy in being able to convey information and experiences that make people motivated and happy about themselves and the goals that are before them. Isn't this the best way to teach others? When we can show God's love for us and others, are they not more likely to respond than by trying to intimidate or browbeat them into a negative feeling of submission? I am not saying that there are not negative lessons or feelings conveyed in the scriptures. But the general focus of the scriptures is on love and peace that is found by being a follower of God.
If we as Christians cannot find happiness in this life and
be positive in our dealings with ourselves and others, I would
suggest that an examination of faith is in order.
II. Be grateful when you're feeling good and graceful when
you're feeling bad.
The happiest person on earth isn't always happy. In fact, the
happiest people all have their fair share of low moods, problems,
disappointments and heartaches. Often the difference between a
person who is happy and someone who is unhappy isn't how often
they get low, or even how low they drop, but instead, it's what
they do with their low moods. How do they relate to their changing
feeling?
Most people have it backwards. When they are feeling down, they roll up their sleeves and get to work. They take their low moods very seriously and try to figure out and analyze what's wrong. They try to force themselves out of their low state, which tends to compound the problem rather than solve it.
When you observe peaceful relaxed people, you find that when they are feeling good, they are grateful. They understand that both positive and negative feelings come and go, and that there will come a time when they won't be feeling so good. To happy people, this is okay. They accept the inevitability of passing feelings. So, when they are feeling depressed, angry, or stressed out, they relate to these feelings with the same openness and wisdom. Rather than fight their feelings and panic simply because they are feeling bad, they accept their feeling, knowing that this too shall pass. This allows them to come gently and gracefully out of negative feeling states and into more positive states of mind.
The next time you're feeling bad, rather than fight it, try to relax. See if, instead of panicking, you can be graceful and calm. Know that if you don't fight your negative feelings, if you are graceful, they will pass away. Acts 16:19-40
III. Become a less aggressive driver
Where do you get the most uptight? If you're like most people,
driving in traffic is probably high on you list. To look at most
major freeways these days, you'd think you were on a racetrack
instead of a roadway.
There are three excellent reasons for becoming a less aggressive driver. First, when you are aggressive, you put yourself and everyone around you in extreme danger. Second, driving aggressively is extremely stressful. Your blood pressure goes up, your grip on the wheel tightens, your eyes are strained and your thought are spinning out of control. Finally, you end up saving no time in getting where you want to go. Have you ever been passed by a very aggressive driver, only to find that when you arrive at your destination you're either ahead of this person or right there with them at the same time?
The same principle applies when you see drivers speeding past you so that they can beat you to the next stoplight. It simply doesn't pay to speed. This is especially true if you get a ticket and have to spend eight hours in traffic school. It will take you years of driving dangerously to make up this time alone.
Try to use the time driving instead to relax. During the course
of your lifetime, you're probably going to spend a great deal
of time driving. You can spend these moments being frustrated,
or you can use them wisely. If you do the latter you'll be a more
relaxed person.
Happy Verses: I Tim. 6:17-19, Hebrews 11