What do you do when you find yourself surrounded by negative people or negative circumstances? How do you keep yourself strong, while also trying to edify/build up those who are struggling? It is so easy to be pulled down by negativity!
What do you do when negativity is all around?
- Thread starter JoyfulJuliana28
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Thankful For Grace
Guest
Dearest Juliana,
It is not easy to walk in this fallen world when we are surrounded by negativity--but you can choose by faith to focus on Jesus Christ and learn by practice, one day or minute at a time, to endure and overcome in Christ.
When our heavenly Father allows us to suffer anguish and disappointment, it is to teach us what Jesus, Himself, endured--and to train us in loving the unlovely as He, Himself, loves us when we are not lovable.
I am praying for you that you will transcend this earthly viewpoint and learn to focus solely on Jesus Christ, and Jesus, Alone.
It is in this way, and this way only, that we fallen-but-redeemed beings learn to traverse what we call life (this earthly journey)--that this life is really only the preliminary step to eternal life--and it is also here on earth as we sufrer the conditions of earthly life while choosing to trust in Him that we learn to focus on Jesus and what is important to Him.
Never give up Hope in Jesus. It is ok to give up hope in ourselves and others--humans will always fall short of the goal--but it is never ok to give up Hope in Jesus Christ, Who loves us eternally and Who is the author and finisher of our faith--the Alpha and the Omega--the beginning and the end.
He is ALWAYS faithful to us when we reach out to Him as struggling children, because we are His precious redeemed children.
May God be with you and keep you.
TFG
It is not easy to walk in this fallen world when we are surrounded by negativity--but you can choose by faith to focus on Jesus Christ and learn by practice, one day or minute at a time, to endure and overcome in Christ.
When our heavenly Father allows us to suffer anguish and disappointment, it is to teach us what Jesus, Himself, endured--and to train us in loving the unlovely as He, Himself, loves us when we are not lovable.
I am praying for you that you will transcend this earthly viewpoint and learn to focus solely on Jesus Christ, and Jesus, Alone.
It is in this way, and this way only, that we fallen-but-redeemed beings learn to traverse what we call life (this earthly journey)--that this life is really only the preliminary step to eternal life--and it is also here on earth as we sufrer the conditions of earthly life while choosing to trust in Him that we learn to focus on Jesus and what is important to Him.
Never give up Hope in Jesus. It is ok to give up hope in ourselves and others--humans will always fall short of the goal--but it is never ok to give up Hope in Jesus Christ, Who loves us eternally and Who is the author and finisher of our faith--the Alpha and the Omega--the beginning and the end.
He is ALWAYS faithful to us when we reach out to Him as struggling children, because we are His precious redeemed children.
May God be with you and keep you.
TFG
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L2becomeCL
Its a Journey
Hey,
My whole life is surrounded by very negative, toxic, pessimistic people. What helps me immensley is to put on my IPOD and blast my Christian music. It does something to my soul. Its like a quick fix and helps me to focus on God rather then on my circumstances. Its truly wonderful and so grounding and Im better able to face such toxic people and see them as lost people who God loves dearly. Thats just me.
My whole life is surrounded by very negative, toxic, pessimistic people. What helps me immensley is to put on my IPOD and blast my Christian music. It does something to my soul. Its like a quick fix and helps me to focus on God rather then on my circumstances. Its truly wonderful and so grounding and Im better able to face such toxic people and see them as lost people who God loves dearly. Thats just me.
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I work in security, so I don't tend to see anything as negative. I have also worked in sales and learned that the negative and seeing the negative everywhere... while may be true... is also a matter of perspective that itself can be defeatist and give in.
It might be like walking into a hospital ER during a catastrophe. One can be alarmed at the negativity everywhere. Maybe there are no health care professionals, just groaning people with all manner of accidents and diseases.
If you are a health care professional, then you are a singular strong, healthy person among a lot of desperate sick people.
That is being in such a position as you describe.
Nothing more, nothing less... except that if there is no one else to help, you need to realize that if you do not help, people will die.
Usually, if we have a lot of power we also have a lot of responsibility. We could look at the people we see on the streets blithely unaware to such carnage and perhaps envy them for their simplicity and naivety. But, really... would you trade your life and your position for that?
No pain, no pleasure... no responsibility, no meaning. Everybody has responsibilities, some have more then others. If they do, they also have more capability to handle it. Such capability is a vehicle of love and God is love, so they see so much more then many.
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gabrielListens
eagles fly alone
I used to be very much attacked by negativity because of a situation I was in for a few years. During this time I learned some techniques which helped me deal with it. I still experience negativity from time to time, as we all do, but these "techniques" help me to manage it and get through it.
First off, I remind myself that God sees everything. God is your witness. God saw what happened to you and who did what, no matter how small the matter may have been. God knows exactly what happened and knows exactly how much it hurt you. He remembers His pain when He was mocked and insulted and when he was unjustly accused. There is no pain that God does not understand. This helps to heal because it is a reminder that you are not alone in your pain. That someone understands you perfectly, and that someone is the one who matters most and the one who loves you the most. You are his beloved child and He hurts when you hurt just as a parent feels anguish when their child's in pain. I used to have a post-it note on the dashboard of my car that simply had "GIMY" on it (it should have been GIMW) to remind me everyday that God Is My Witness.
Second of all, when it hurts to much that I can't stop thinking about it, I ask Jesus to please remove the dark cloud surrounding my heart. I read a story once about a woman who encountered Jesus and He showed her how our actions can bring either light or darkness into another person's life. He showed her how even a few angry, careless words or a rude gesture can hurt someone and extinguish the light in their soul, and how this person can spread this darkness to many others all because of someone's simple, unkind gesture. By the same token, Jesus showed her how a small, kind gesture can spread light to many souls. Jesus then told her that we should not spread darkness. Knowing this, I ask Jesus to please remove the dark cloud from my heart so that I will not spread this darkness to others. I imagine in my mind's eye a dark cloud covering my heart and I see it clear away to reveal a joyful, bright heart. I may have to do this a few times to get rid of the negative feelings but it always works, and I always thanks Jesus for removing the darkness from my heart.
Third, when the pain is enduring...when there's something that you must endure and it pains you so, and you can't get out of it for awhile, think of Jesus. I keep a prayer card in my wallet with a beautiful picture of Jesus on it. His eyes filled with compassion and tenderness (my profile picture of Jesus is very similar). I picture him that way in my mind, sometimes with the crown of thorns on him with the blood trickling down his forehead and the look of pain and loving sorrow on His divine face. It both reminds me of His suffering and that he cares deeply about what we are going through, and that HE is there with me. That he feels my pain, feels my sorrow, feels my anguish and will get me through this because as my signature says "Those who wait upon the Lord will renew their strength...they will soar on wings like eagles..." (Isaiah 40:31).
Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.
Proverbs 12:18 NIV
Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.
1 Peter 3:9 NIV
Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret-it leads only to evil
Psalm 37:8 NIV
"In your anger do not sin": Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold."
Ephesians 4:26-7 NIV
A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control
Proverbs 29:11 NIV
First off, I remind myself that God sees everything. God is your witness. God saw what happened to you and who did what, no matter how small the matter may have been. God knows exactly what happened and knows exactly how much it hurt you. He remembers His pain when He was mocked and insulted and when he was unjustly accused. There is no pain that God does not understand. This helps to heal because it is a reminder that you are not alone in your pain. That someone understands you perfectly, and that someone is the one who matters most and the one who loves you the most. You are his beloved child and He hurts when you hurt just as a parent feels anguish when their child's in pain. I used to have a post-it note on the dashboard of my car that simply had "GIMY" on it (it should have been GIMW) to remind me everyday that God Is My Witness.
Second of all, when it hurts to much that I can't stop thinking about it, I ask Jesus to please remove the dark cloud surrounding my heart. I read a story once about a woman who encountered Jesus and He showed her how our actions can bring either light or darkness into another person's life. He showed her how even a few angry, careless words or a rude gesture can hurt someone and extinguish the light in their soul, and how this person can spread this darkness to many others all because of someone's simple, unkind gesture. By the same token, Jesus showed her how a small, kind gesture can spread light to many souls. Jesus then told her that we should not spread darkness. Knowing this, I ask Jesus to please remove the dark cloud from my heart so that I will not spread this darkness to others. I imagine in my mind's eye a dark cloud covering my heart and I see it clear away to reveal a joyful, bright heart. I may have to do this a few times to get rid of the negative feelings but it always works, and I always thanks Jesus for removing the darkness from my heart.
Third, when the pain is enduring...when there's something that you must endure and it pains you so, and you can't get out of it for awhile, think of Jesus. I keep a prayer card in my wallet with a beautiful picture of Jesus on it. His eyes filled with compassion and tenderness (my profile picture of Jesus is very similar). I picture him that way in my mind, sometimes with the crown of thorns on him with the blood trickling down his forehead and the look of pain and loving sorrow on His divine face. It both reminds me of His suffering and that he cares deeply about what we are going through, and that HE is there with me. That he feels my pain, feels my sorrow, feels my anguish and will get me through this because as my signature says "Those who wait upon the Lord will renew their strength...they will soar on wings like eagles..." (Isaiah 40:31).
Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.
Proverbs 12:18 NIV
Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.
1 Peter 3:9 NIV
Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret-it leads only to evil
Psalm 37:8 NIV
"In your anger do not sin": Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold."
Ephesians 4:26-7 NIV
A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control
Proverbs 29:11 NIV
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Be negative with them, show them what they are doing. If enough people continue to be negative it becomes sarcasm then it becomes a joke, then everyone is laughing on the floor.
Mock their negativity with worse negativity to show what is behind the mask at the end.
Though. That can backfire.
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gabrielListens
eagles fly alone
Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.
1 Peter 3:9 NIV
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L
Life2Christ
Guest
I remember the words of TD Jakes who said (I paraphrase): Don't fight with people, fight with evil, in other words, the spirit of evil is present but the person is not evil. People are negative because they are suffering greatly. Suffering with insecurity (not feeling worthy), suffering from depression, suffering from low self-esteem, suffering from not knowing God. They need a little love from you; a sacrificial love becuase they will probably be spitting in your face. This is a battle with evil.
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Thanks for the responses! My question mostly concerned how to handle my own emotions when other people around me are negative or just down-right depressing. I know I'm supposed to handle such matters with love, care, and consideration but I also know there is a time to just walk away for a time as well. It is SO easy to get pulled down, much easier than pulling people up. But I do believe with the power of the Holy Spirit and His love in my life, maintaining a cheerful (yet caring) attitude can be done!
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S
SportsJunkie25
Guest
When there is a negative, there's always a positive; it's up to us as to which one we will focus on.
I used to always focus on the negative aspects of everything (b/c the negative is what gets our attn b/c it annoys us) but what has helped me is reciting "positive" affirmations like, "God is with me. This too, shall pass...". When it comes to negative people, I try to get as far away from them as I can. If you live with them, can you go into a different room? Seeking solitude helps. Listen to your music, relax and before you know it, you'll be recharged. I also go for walks, journal, etc. It's hard to live w/ negative people though; I feel your pain. Just try to focus on the positive and hopefully your situation will change. Oh yeah, don't forget...prayer always works, too!
Best wishes!
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I know it sounds cold . but just walk away or change the topic of the conversation when they start talking negative .
it's okay to express what's wrong with things . but if you're only complaining all the time . then there's a problem underneath that which needs to be dealt with first .
i would suggest to either try to get to the root of the problem and show the love of God down there . or not participate in the drama .
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wonderwaleye
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Tell yourself I CAN and I WILL! Then tell them to start telling themselves to do the same. Or if they prefer just remain in the mud! Hit the issue HEAD ON in a positive manner.
steven
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Remember this; life is beatiful!
ask God to help you be joyful in your day to day and show joy and kindness to these negative people. If they cannot accept it, it;s their loss
ask God to help you be joyful in your day to day and show joy and kindness to these negative people. If they cannot accept it, it;s their loss
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I got two good pieces of advice from others:
A fellow layman told me to "kill them with kindness". Don't forget to be humble, moderate and reasonable in that, however. It's not easy, but sometimes it's very easy lol. It's better to do nothing than to make huge gestures or sacrifices that you may come to regret, I suppose.
Priests have told me to pray for them, and that it actually helps more than anything else you can do.
A fellow layman told me to "kill them with kindness". Don't forget to be humble, moderate and reasonable in that, however. It's not easy, but sometimes it's very easy lol. It's better to do nothing than to make huge gestures or sacrifices that you may come to regret, I suppose.
Priests have told me to pray for them, and that it actually helps more than anything else you can do.
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