Accentuate the Positive

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. What then shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all - how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?”
Romans 8:28 & 31-32

Lots of ideas were swirling about in my head along the lines of how God can use the bad to do good - beauty from ashes and all that. So I was scribbling some possible titles when the phrase “Accentuate the positive” flowed out of the pen. I thought there might be a song with that phrase in so I turned to my husband (the human jukebox) and asked him. He said yes, hummed a bit and then broke out in song - a quick google confirmed it was the title of 1940s song by Johnny Mercer. The song is essentially saying that in the midst of trouble when things seem dark we should “accentuate the positive and eliminate the negative.”

What does that look like in a practical sense? A number of years ago I was severely wounded by the church was attending and serving - the pain was excruciating - the kind that might make a person turn their back on Jesus and become mired in bitterness. For me though, it turned out to be a blessing in disguise. If that painful event hadn’t happened - you wouldn’t be reading this, there wouldn’t be a blog or books either. If that event hadn’t happened I wouldn’t have made friends all over the world. If that event hadn’t happened I would not have gone to seminary and I would have limited what God could do in my life. If that event hadn’t happened my faith may have grown stale, instead it was made strong and the call to ministry securely fastened to my very soul. I’m not going to say that everything is great - because it’s not there are still struggles and plenty of them. That comes from living in a fallen world, surrounded by fallen people and choosing to follow a dangerous God. But it is so worth it - it will be especially worth it in the end. 

So what are you facing today? What are you questioning God about? What are possibly blaming God for? We are promised in God’s Word that He will work for our good in all things and that with Him on our side no one can permanently be against us unless we allow ourselves to embrace the negative instead of accentuating the positive. 

This week keep your heart open for the good that He is doing and let the positives overrule the negatives in this crazy thing we call life on planet earth.

A Prayer
Father - thank you for your promises. Promises for good to overrule bad. Promises we can stand solidly one in the midst of life’s hurricanes. Help this week to accentuate the positives. To see the good you have done, are doing and will always do for us as long as we keep our hearts fixed on You. In the name Jesus, we pray - Amen