Accentuate the Positive!

Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouth, but only as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. Ephesians 4:29

You’ve got to accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative; latch on to the affirmative and don’t mess with Mister In Between. Johnny Mercer

The song above was first released in 1944 and debuted in a movie Here Come the Waves which was a recruitment film during the war. My Mama used to love to sing it because it has a strong message. The song was written in the style of a sermon which explains that accentuating the positive is the key to happiness.

Remembering that song has helped me realize that even though there’s always something negative, the positive should be the side that’s accentuated.

In the midst of all the bad news out there, I have a facebook friend who always errs on the side of the positive. Instead of listing how many people have died from the virus, how many new cases per day, how many people are in the hospital, she posts the encouraging number of how many people have survived. She accentuates the positive.

I ran into another old friend yesterday, and when I asked her how she was, she replied, “I’m not just surviving, I’m thriving!” She is taking the high road and accentuating the positive. I love those positive thoughts!

I seem to be in line at Starbucks some afternoons about the time when everyone else is in line, but during these days, I don’t mind the wait. On this particular day, when I pulled up to the window to pay, the server said, with a huge smile, “Guess what? Your coffee is free?” When I said, “What? Why?” He replied, “That car of crazy teenagers in front of you paid for it!” What an accentuation of the positive they gave me that day!! Thank you!

It’s so easy in today’s world to put all the attention on the negative things which are plaguing our society, but negative thinking isn’t helping anyone. In some cases, the negativity leads to depression and the mindset of unhappiness. It’s impossible really to completely eliminate negativity because it’s human nature to use the negative as a method to warn us of danger, but there are things to remember.

The best way to accentuate the positive is to only speak uplifting and good things about others. Speak things which build up others. Spend time with positive people doing positive, thoughtful things. When people began to speak negatively, try to interject something good that’s going on – we can always find a bright spot.

I find that when I let the news start my day, the entire day has a negative slant. There are more and more people who are just turning off the TV or radio, putting down the I pad, computer or social media, and pulling out the Bible or a devotional to start the day. I’m here to attest to the power it can have to accentuate the positive every morning!

Finally, give thanks to God every day for all the positive blessings in your life. No matter where you look, there’s always someone who has more problems, more pain, more suffering than you. Be grateful for what you have! Remember, this will all pass one day, and we will be glad we accentuated the positive.

Everything comes to pass, nothing comes to stay. copied