Are You a Pessimist or Pollyanna? It’s Okay to be a Pollyanna!
29 Oct 2011 4 Comments
in Devotionals2 Tags: Amen., Chester, Chihuahua, China Grove, Gimp, God, Jesus, Pollyanna
“Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let them say among the nations, ‘The Lord reigns!’” (I Chronicles 16:31)
Pollyanna. This is a book and film. Unfortunately, it is also a derogatory term for someone who is overly optimistic. I’ve had many nicknames–Missy, Basketball Jones, Gimp or Chester (knee surgery at age 14), Bones (I was too skinny), or “China” for the inevitable tune I played on the high school cafeteria jukebox every day, “China Grove.” But getting called “Pollyanna” is what I consider a compliment.
Like Pollyanna, I want to find the positive side of things. My role model for this is Pastor Mike Hancock. He tells jokes before a sermon to loosen us up. Pastor Mike is always smiling, even when hearing complaints about the temperature in the church sanctuary. Whenever anyone from his congregation expresses a positive attitude, Pastor Mike is pleased. So am I really a Pollyanna when life gets tough?
Pollyanna’s clergyman in the story had stayed up all night, counting over 800 happy verses in the Bible. If God told us over 800 times to be glad, shouldn’t we do it, Pollyanna asked? Well, it’s really hard for me, because I’m in pain most of the time. This makes me over-sensitive to constructive criticisms while in pain; I’m more argumentative. All of my faults (and there are thousands) are magnified. To put it plainly, I’m not often happy. And this is wrong, because we weren’t put here to be sad and miserable all our lives.
I want to show God’s grace in the circumstances when I ordinarily would act ugly. I choose to “let the earth be glad.“
Prayer: Lord, I don’t want to be a person who’s miserable and lonely. I pray that You will help me become a happy, encouraging individual who loves and is loved. Thank You for giving me Your grace in difficult situations. In Jesus’ name, Amen.>
About the Author:
Melissa Jones Callis believes that a smile is free to give, and could be priceless to the recipient. She enjoys reading, gardening, and listening to country music in Nashville, TN with her wonderful husband Ronnie, Bella (the Pomeranian), and Brit-Brit (the Chihuahua).
You can now read this on your Kindle. Find out more at http://TodaysDevotionOnKindle.com
Do we react to people out of love, or out of our pain? Can we choose to be glad even in our present circumstances?
Oct 29, 2011 @ 07:40:58
Yes it’s ok to be a Pollyanna…I love this post…thank you and God BLess!
Oct 29, 2011 @ 16:55:08
Thanks for the positive words, Melissa. I believe we can keep a postivie attitude without denying our pain. We surely feel the pain. Others need not feel it unless we choose to make it our focus when relating to them. I’d rather they recognize the One who is helping me persevere in spite of the pain or challenges. We always have the choice on how we are going to be with ourselves and with others. With God as our Strength, He will do the shining.
Bless you – look forward to your next posting!
Lynn