Smilers Never Lose and Frowners Never Win

Last week I mentioned my sorrow surrounding the current trend toward thinking that we're owed blessings and that we can force them to come about through positive thinking. But, lest you misunderstand, let me offer up that I don't actually have a problem with trying to be more positive. In fact, I think we all (myself included) can definitely benefit from having a positive attitude. It's just a matter of what you're expecting to come out of it that gets me. In fact, I think Paul summed up the idea of living a life with a positive attitude when he said, "Rejoice in the Lord, always. I will say it again, Rejoice!" (Phil. 4:4)

That has to me always been the crux of living with a positive attitude - though Paul continues in verse 5 to detail what I think is really the means for living with that positive attitude, "Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received of heard from me, or seen in me - put it inot practice. And the God of peace will be with you." (Phil 4: 5-9)

I'll be the first to say that walking around with a positive attitude is not the easiest thing for me. I've always been a "glass half empty" type of girl, and honestly, I'm as likely as not to suggest that not only is my glass half empty, but your glass was bigger than mine to start out with. And I've justified this attitude by mumbling to myself that we're not supposed to walk around as if Christians never have problems or bad days, so really, I'm just being real in the face of phoniness. There's a nugget of truth there, because I don't believe that we are supposed to gloss over problems and valleys with the veneer of positivity. We aren't meant to be the original shiny happy people. On the other hand, we're not supposed to be Marshwiggles either, moping around and bemoaning our eel stew. In fact, Paul gives us the balance just two verses later, "I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances." (Phil. 4:11)

Contentment. Whether well fed or hungry. Whether poor or rich. We can do all things (i.e. we can be hungry, or well fed, or poor, or rich) through Christ. (Phil. 4:12-13) Contentment with where we find ourselves. Rejoicing in that situation. These are the keys that transcend the Osteen-ology (and his predecessors like the Prayer of Jabez phenomenon) of bringing blessings to ourselves through shiny, happy thoughts and our own merits, as if they are owed. These are the keys that transcend those who dwell on the other side of the fence, lambasting those Christians who have the temerity to succeed materially through the use of their God-given talents, demanding instead that Christians should never have more than the poorest of the poor.
Maybe we'll find ourselves called to be rich so that we can more effectively minister to the rich. Maybe we'll find ourselves called to be poor and to live amongst the poor and minister as one of their own. Maybe we'll be called to live somewhere in the middle. A positive attitude, motivated by the desire to honor God in our current circumstances, is never misplaced. But we need to realize that it's not a panacea for those circumstances.

There are many examples out there of people who have achieved success through positive thinking - if there weren't, it wouldn't be such a prominent philosophy. The danger comes not from the positive attitude, but in believing that it's a tit for tat situation - if we are positive, then God must bless us. If I do X, then God owes me Y. That's the downfall. God owes us nothing except the wages of our sin, He gifts us with mercy and eternal life through His son. How dare we demand more.