Day 3: Optimist Challenge

Day 3: Let go of those negative feelings that are keeping your heart, and attitude, in bondage.

Negativity can take root in our hearts during a bad marriage, a damaged friendship, a termination at work, a condescending boss, or as a result of painful childhood experiences.

These types of "seeds" of hurt can sometimes root deeply into our hearts and we may not ever realized that they are still there.

If you find yourself with a negative attitude lately, have you considered when it all started, and why are you continuing with that mindset?

Is it possible you have been seeing the glass as half empty for so long, that you cant even remember a time when you were really positive?

If so, could that negativity be a result of "seeds" planted in your heart long ago? Could those seeds be sprouting weeds and choking out your optimistic outlook on life and your spiritual walk with God?

Those seeds of negativity that may have been planted deep into our hearts usually stay close to the surface, ready to emerge at any time with just a little nourishment and fertilizer (a.k.a., frustrations, anger, pressures or temptations). The good news is, is that they are also easy to pull out!

Consider this analogy - if you planted a garden, and only watered and fertilized one section of it, which section do you think would grow? The one that was given the most attention, of course!

Our hearts are like a garden. A garden full of all types of emotions and feelings, and through the daily actions and thoughts that we act on each day, we are in essence watering and fertilizing one section of our heart.

If I asked you which part of your heart garden you were spending the most time on, would it be the side that grows all of your positive thoughts, or the side that grows mainly negative thoughts?

Whichever section you focus on the most, is the section that is growing, and the roots are getting more deeply rooted each and every day.

So if you have been fertilizing those negative seeds, it may be time to do some gardening girlfriend!

Go get out your gardening tools - your spiritual gardening tools that is - like your bible, your journal if you have one, your phone if you want to enlist friends to pray for you, and last but not least, your knee pads.

Ephesians 4:26-27 In your anger do not sin": Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27and do not give the devil a foothold.


Challenge: Ask God to reveal what the root causes are for your negativity or pessimism, and pray for the strength, courage, perseverance and desire to dig up all those old feelings (do some weed pulling!). Deal with your emotions about them, and ask God to help you toss out all those ugly seeds that have no place being in a beautiful garden that God created.

If you have a hard time with this at first, just start brainstorming about what your "seeds" may be, that caused those ugly "weeds" to grow. For example........

If unforgiveness is the culprit, ask God to help you forgive those who have hurt you, and/or to forgive you for blaming God for what happened. Unforgiveness is like a a toxic poison that you ingest, but then sit around and wait for the other person to suffer - not going to happen! Remember, forgiveness is a gift you give yourself, even if the other person does not deserve it.

If an addiction is the culprit, pray for Gods strength to break that addiction. Addiction meaning - anything that has a stronghold on your heart - such as anger, unforgiveness, lying, cheating, pornography, and so on. Addictions can be as emotional as they can be physical. Seek out professional counsel to help you recover, if you need that extra support. Confide in a trusted friend and ask them to pray for you daily. Commit to God, and any friends and family that need to know of your commitment, your pledge to break free of that stronghold on your heart.

If you hate your job, hate your boss, hate your dog, or hate any situation that is going on in your life, ask God to help you see the situation or person from His perspective. Ask Him to allow you to see His presence in the midst of what is going on. Pray for His guidance on how to make the situation better, or to open doors for you to walk through to make positive changes. If things cant change right away, remember that if God brought you to it, He can get you through it.

To sum it up, just do a quick self examination today.

Discover what your negativity culprit is. Consider what can you do to overcome Satans attack to allow your culprit to keep you down and out. Spend some time in prayer, requesting that God open your ears to hear what He has to say, even if the truth hurts.

And lastly - plan on having setbacks - true change and spiritual healing do not come easily or happen overnight.

But lucky for us, our God is a patient God. As the old saying goes, LET GO & LET GOD.