POSITIVE ENERGY VIBES

 So he complained to the Lord about it: “Didn’t I say before I left home that you would do this, Lord? That is why I ran away to Tarshish! I knew that you are a merciful and compassionate God, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.

You are eager to turn back from destroying people. Jonah 4:2

Have you ever sat with someone, could be in a Matatu or even in Church, and all the person seated next to you is seeing is what is negative, what is wrong, and how everything can be done better? You know the kind. Before the journey is over, they have already explained why the country is failing, why leadership is failing, why the economy is failing, why the Church is failing, why people cannot be trusted, why things will never change, and why every solution is somehow worse than the problem itself. By the time the conversation ends, you almost feel guilty for having any hope left in you. It is as though some people have trained their eyes to search for darkness even when standing under the brightest sunlight.

I am reminded of one time when we were conducting interviews for Departmental Heads at our Corporate HQ in the lavish streets of Upper Nairobi. So in came one gentleman who really looked polished and executive in stature. Even by the way he had adorned his suit, you could tell he had prepared himself well for the interview. His confidence was evident. His credentials were impressive. His presentation was smooth. In fact, if first impressions were the only thing that mattered, he would probably have walked away with the job before the interview even started.

Everything went on exceptionally well until one of my colleague Managers asked him a very simple question. Why did he want to leave his current placement, especially considering he appeared to be doing quite well there? That was when all hell broke loose—ama hii msemo hutumika wapi? Hahaha.

The Gentleman immediately launched into a detailed account of everything that was wrong with his Organization. His Bosses were incompetent. His colleagues were difficult. The systems were broken. The culture was corrupt. The Leadership was poor. The Environment was toxic. The Opportunities were limited. On and on he went. Every sentence carried a fresh complaint. Every answer uncovered another grievance.

Soon there was silence from our side of the table. Not because we were shocked by what he was saying about the company. Any organization can have challenges. Every workplace has areas that need improvement. No, what caught our attention was something much deeper. We could not find a single positive thing that he had gained from that place. Not one lesson. Not one Opportunity. Not one Mentor. Not one Achievement. Not one Blessing. The place that had employed him, paid him, developed him, and given him experience seemed, in his mind, to have contributed absolutely nothing worthwhile to his life.

Right there and then, we saw a problem.

He did not receive a single vote from the seven panelists who were seated there that day.

Not one.

The issue was not his former company. The issue was his perspective. We realized that if he could only see faults where he currently was, chances were that six months after joining us, he would only see faults in us as well. His greatest challenge was not his environment. It was the lens through which he viewed life.

And if we are honest, isn’t that where many of us find ourselves?

We become so accustomed to focusing on what is wrong that we lose the ability to appreciate what is right. We can easily tell you what is missing but struggle to identify what has already been provided. We can describe every obstacle standing before us but fail to recognize the God standing beside us. We become experts at identifying problems while remaining amateurs at recognizing blessings.

That is why I find Jonah’s story so fascinating. When God called him to go to Nineveh, his assignment was not in Tarshish. It was in Nineveh. Yet Jonah became so consumed by his own thoughts and feelings that he headed in the opposite direction. No wonder he got eaten and was not digested. Hahaha. He had to find himself in Nineveh whether he liked it or not. Sometimes God will allow circumstances to redirect us back to purpose because purpose is too important to abandon.

Yet what amazes me most about Jonah’s story is not the storm. It is not the fish. It is not even the miraculous preservation inside the belly of the fish. What amazes me is Jonah’s attitude after God performed one of the greatest miracles recorded in Scripture. An entire city repented. An entire city turned back to God. A whole nation experienced mercy. Yet Jonah sat there upset. Imagine preaching a message that changes a city and still finding reasons to be unhappy. Imagine witnessing one of the greatest revivals in history and focusing on what disappoints you rather than what God has accomplished.

Negativity does that to us.

• It blinds us to miracles.
• It causes us to overlook blessings.
• It convinces us that what is wrong is more significant than what God is doing.

The children of Israel suffered from the same condition. Twelve spies entered the Promised Land. Twelve men saw the same giants. Twelve men saw the same fortified cities. Twelve men saw the same opportunities. Yet ten returned speaking fear while only two returned speaking faith. The difference was not the landscape. The difference was perspective. The ten spies focused on the size of the giants. Joshua and Caleb focused on the size of their God. The ten spies saw obstacles. Joshua and Caleb saw possibilities. The ten spies saw defeat. Joshua and Caleb saw victory before the battle had even begun.

Sometimes the greatest battle in our lives is not external. It is internal. It is the battle for our perspective.

David understood this truth. That is why he wrote in Psalm 27:13, “I would have lost heart unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.” What a powerful statement. David does not deny the challenges. He does not pretend life is easy. He does not ignore the enemies around him. Instead, he makes a conscious decision to believe that God’s goodness is still ahead of him. He chooses hope over despair. He chooses faith over fear. He chooses expectation over discouragement.

And perhaps that is the challenge before us this week.

To look carefully at our lives and identify those areas where we have become comfortable living in the negative.

Maybe it is your workplace. Maybe it is your family. Maybe it is your marriage. Maybe it is your ministry. Maybe it is your finances. Maybe it is your future.

Maybe you have spent so much time focusing on what is not working that you have forgotten to thank God for what is working.

Maybe you have spent so much time counting your problems that you have forgotten to count your blessings.

Maybe you have spent so much time looking at closed doors that you have failed to notice the doors God has already opened.

Romans 12:2 tells us to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. Notice that transformation begins in the mind. Before circumstances change, thinking changes. Before behavior changes, thinking changes. Before outcomes change, thinking changes. God often starts His greatest work within us before He starts working around us.

This week, choose to see what God sees. Choose to focus on His faithfulness. Choose to remember His goodness. Choose to celebrate His blessings. For every Goliath standing before you, there is a God who has never lost a battle.

For every Red Sea in front of you, there is a pathway waiting to be revealed. For every furnace, there is a Fourth Man in the fire. For every storm, there is a Savior who still speaks peace. For every tomb, there is a resurrection morning.

Life may not be perfect. Challenges may still exist. Difficulties may still arise. But our confidence has never been in perfect circumstances. Our confidence has always been in a perfect God.

And so, as you walk through this week, may you refuse to become trapped in the prison of negativity. May your eyes remain fixed on God’s goodness. May your heart remain anchored in His promises. May your words reflect faith rather than fear. And may your testimony be like that of the Psalmist who declared, “This is the day that the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.”