Verle Bell M.D.
[Originally published as The Power of Negative Thinking]
Two men leave the same housing development, drive through the same traffic to the same job at the same time. The only difference is Mr. A expects people to drive properly while Mr. B expects people to drive poorly — unaware of those around them and being rude and careless.
Which one arrives at work upset and tense?
Who spends the day getting more and more bothered when his boss is thoughtless, when his coworkers don’t pull their fair share of the load?
The Scriptures share that there is none righteous, no, not one. The heart is desperately wicked, and we can’t even know our own heart. That our thoughts are not His thoughts, nor are our ways his ways. There are ways that seem right to me, yet they lead to death.
Perhaps the most irrational thought possible is “How can people be that way?”
They can be that way because they are just like I am, a sinner to the core.
When I accept that this is a sin-plagued world, when I expect myself and others to drive badly and get away with slovenly work and not appreciate others, I am not so bothered when they, or I, act as expected. In fact, I feel affirmed in the accuracy of my worldview.
On the other hand, if I encounter lawful treatment, I am delighted and grateful to see God’s grace and ways break through even in this cursed world. So we discover that Mr. B, the one who expected negative behavior, winds up less stressed.
When I understand my own uncanny ability to pick the wrong response every time, I am more likely to catch myself responding badly. I am more likely to not trust my own nature, but seek the Spirit’s help, and look to God’s Word for the right response and the power to yield my body members as slaves to God, not evil.
Remember, all Scripture is given by God for five purposes:
- That we might know what the godly response is to the current moment.
- That we might be reproved. “You tell me to do XYZ, which means that I must naturally do the opposite of XYZ. The right way would simply be to yield my body members opposite of my natural inclination. You tell me not to do ABC, so I must naturally do the opposite; so Lord help me to stop.
- That we might find the tools and strength to change the problem in me.
- That I might develop virtue and skills and purity so that God:
- Might help me reach out to minister to others, and that I might not only find life but find it abundantly.
